The Heart of a Warrior
by Lila Johanna
Summary: Baron's come to Earth, says he's a 'good guy' and starts to fall for Ilana. Will Lance put up with it, or will he want revenge?
1. Chapter 1

Note: I do not own Sym Bionic Titan, it belongs to Cartoon Network and Genndy Tarkakovsky. Also this happens BEFORE 'A Family Crisis' and AFTER 'Under the Three Moons'.

* * *

**The Heart of a Warrior**

It was the middle of the night in Feburary. The only one awake in the Lunis house was 'Mr. Lunis' or Octus. He lay quietly in his bed, scanning the perimiter of their home. Ilana and Lance were both sound asleep, and so was the rest of the neighborhood. In fact, the whole town was quiet, which he thought was strange. Usually there are at least _some_people up. Octus looked at his clock. 1:27 p.m. And right then, the rift gate opened. Octus sat up. He needed to wake up Illana and Lance imediatly.

Ilana was having a wonderful dream. She was back at Galaluna, with her father. She was home, in her palace, with Hobbes, her bodyguard. It was a perfect summer afternoon, not a cloud in the sky. There was no war, and no Mutraddi chasing them. Why, even Lance was there, and she was even showing him her gardens. He seemed to be enjoying it, because he smiled the entire time. Octus was there too, assisting her father, the king of Galauna. Everyone was happy, especially her. She wished she would never wake up.

* * *

Lance, on the other hand, was not having the best dream ever and was more than happy when Octus finally woke him up. He was in the middle of battle, Mutraddi surrounding the army. He had already slayed dozens of the monsters without breaking a sweat. Soldiers near him fell dead to the ground, but he stood and fought these ugly beasts that dare challenge him. For he, Lance, was not afraid of anything.

Lance then saw Ilana in the distance in the clutches of the Mutraddi's leader, a fish-like creature with six arms and green scaley skin. He started to run toward her, slaying every monster in his path. "Ilana!" He shouted, only 20 feet away from her. Then unexpectedly, a tall boy with blond hair and a long nose around his age jumped out in front of him. "Going somewhere Lance?" He asked, pointing his gun straight at the princess's face.

"NO!" Lance shouted, unable to stop the laser that shot out of Baron's gun.

"Lance! Lance! Wake up!" Octus said, now in his robot form. Lance awoke, damp from sweat. His dream had really freaked him out. He's had dreams before when he was in battle and Ilana was in danger, but Baron has never been there, ever. Lance shook his head. _It was only a dream._ He told himself.

"What is it Octus?" He asked, rubbing his eyes.

"The rift gate as opened. I think we better go and check it out." Octus answered, standing by Lance's bed.

Lance gave a quick sigh and got up. "Okay. I'll get dressed. Have you woken Ilana yet?"

"No, but I will." Octus said as he left the room.

* * *

"And this is my favorite flower, It's called Stargleam." Ilana said, pointing to a periwinkle colored flower to Lance. They were still in the Palace Gardens, Ilana was in her favorite summer gown, a pink and yellow dress with a light fabric. Lance was still wearing his Earth clothes, strangly. But, Ilana didn't question it.

"It's beautiful." Lance said, examining the flower. "And you grow these all by yourself?" He smiled up at her.

Ilana blushed. "Well, sometimes my dad helps. But usually its just me." She looked at Lance, "What do you want to do next?"

Lance took her by the hand, "Whatever you want."

"Ilana! Wake up!" Octus said to the sleeping princess. Ilana opened her eyes, annoyed by Octus's wake up call.

"Not now, Octus." Ilana said to the robot, closing her eyes and curling up to go back to her dream.

"But, Ilana, the rift gate has opened. I think we should go check it out." He said.

Ilana sighed and sat up. "Fine," she said, "Give me two minutes to change, then we'll go." Octus then left her room. She did get up and looked down at her flowered pajamas, wishing she was inher summer gown. _It was just a dream. _Ilana thought, _A wonderful dream..._

_

* * *

_

They arrived at the site in twenty minutes. Ilana had changed into a denim jacket with a purple t-shirt and her favorite pair of jeans and sneakers. Lance was wearing his usual, his blue hoodie and black pants. Octus was scanning the forest area while Lance and Ilana walked behind them in their armor.

"Any Mutraddi?" Lance asked after a while of silence.

"I'm not if it's from Mutraad, but there is a life form about 4 miles northeast from here." Octus said. So, the three of them went in the direction he said. It only took them a minute and they were there.

"What the-" Ilana whispered. Sitting in a crater in front of them was a space pod similar to the one they arrived in. After a few moments of confused silence, Ilana asked, "Didn't Solomon take our pod?"

"Yes, so I'm not sure where this came from." Octus said while scanning the area for the life form. Then, Lance saw in the woods a silhouette lurking in between the trees. He also noticed this silhouette was holding a weapon.

"Stop!" Lance shouted at it, aiming his armored arm full of missiles towards it. The silhouette looked at him for one second, and then the next was a flash of light, and Lance found himself staring at a Manus armor aiming his missiles at _him._

It was like looking in a mirror for Lance. He wasn't sure what to do, so he said, "Who are you?"

"Who are _you?_" The other Manus armor asked. Lance was sure he heard that voice before. "I am a soldier of the Galalunian army."

Ilana gasped, "You're from Galaluna?" she asked excitedly.

"That's what I _said._" said the Manus armor. "Now _who are you?"_

Ilana switched off her Corus armor and said, "My name is Ilana, and this is Octus." She said gesturing toward the robot. The Manus armor lowered his arm, but Lance did not.

"The _Princess?_" He asked. Lance was sure it was a male voice. And then the Manus switched off, revealing a young man around Ilana and Lance's age with blondeish-white hair and a long nose. He also had on a red and white Galalunian military uniform.

"Your Highness." He said, bowing to Ilana.

Lance had slowly lowered his arm and was in complete shock. _Oh my God. _He thought. _Baron._


	2. Chapter 2

Lance did not forget those days at the military academy, all the times Baron humiliated him, when Baron insulted him and his father, when he almost _killed him._So, Lance was not just going to stand there like he was one of them. He switched off his Manus armor and got Baron in a headlock before anyone said anything. "Okay, _Baron._" He snarled with disgust, "Why are you here?"

"L-Lance?" Baron struggled to say before he jabbed Lance in the stomach with his elbow and knocked him on the ground. "I'm here because I found the message from the princess. What are _you_ doing here?"

Lance got to his feet and answered, remembering his dream, "I'm protecting her from people like _you._" He then lunged at Baron, but Octus stopped him before Lance could rip out his face.

"Lance stop." Ilana said firmly, "Let's just here what Baron has to say." She looked up at Baron and said sweetly, "Please continue."

"Well, as I was saying before I was so _rudely _interrupted." He shot a look and Lance, who glared back at him, "I was in the Royal Palace with a squad of soldiers still faithful to our King. We were planning on doing a surprise attack on the Mutraddi, and kill their leader. Unfortunately, many of my fellow soldiers were murdered in the process. I had escaped to one of the abandoned rooms in the Palace, and then I found your message, Princess. It said you were still alive and safe. And then I suddenly knew what to do."

Baron contined his story, pacing in the inch of snow that covered the ground, "I then did a surprise attack on the Mutraddi guarding the pods, killed them all, and escaped here using the coordinates in your message." he then turned to Ilana, "I'm just so glad you're alright."

"Oh, PLEASE!" Lance said, "Ilana, you don't believe this crap, right?"

"Lance!" Ilana said shocked, and Baron looked almost hurt, "What's your problem?"

Lance went over and took Ilana's arm and whispered in her ear, "Can I talk to you, _privately?_" Ilana rolled her eyes and sighed, but followed him into the forest.

They had walked about 30 yards when Ilana asked, "Okay Lance, know what's up with you? We finally have someone from Galaluna come and their not evil and-"

"Not evil!" Lance spun around to face her, "Baron tried to _kill_ me Ilana! When we were at the academy together! He hates me and I hate him; But not just regular hate, I'm talking about _loathing._"

Ilana stared at him in disbelief, "You can't be serious. You guys were just kids! People change, Lance! He probably just wants to help us! And so, we should help him. I'm pretty sure Octus said the couch can pull out into a bed and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Lance said, cutting her off again, "I'm not letting that creep into our home!"

"What, were going to let him starve and freeze out here?" asked Ilana.

"Sure, why not?" Lance said.

Ilana sighed deeply, "Lance," she tried to stay calm and not yell, "I'm not going to leave him here alone, especially since he's never been on this planet before. Also, it's probably going to be just a few days."

"No! I don't want to be with him for another second!" Lance yelled.

He and Ilana glared at each other for an entire minute until Ilana's face softened and she said with pleading eyes, "Please Lance? It will only be for a few days...Also, he could gives us information on the war in Galaluna..."

Lance sighed and rubbed his eyes, he knew he couldn't win, "Fine, whatever. Just don't expect me to be super-duper nice to him like you will."

Ilana smiled, "Thanks Lance!" And gave him a quick hug before running back to Octus and Baron to tell them the news.

* * *

"So, here's a blanket and a pillow, and the bathroom is just down the hallway. Do you need anything else?" Ilana asked Baron as she put a spare blanket and pillow on the bed Octus had pulled out of the couch.

Baron, now wearing Lance's gray t-shirt and sweatpants that Ilana also let him use, responded, "No, I'm good. Thank you so much for your kindness." Ilana blushed a little before Baron said, "Now, is this house protected enough? Do you have security monitors? A ray shield?"

"Wow, you sound just like Lance when we first moved here." Ilana said, "But don't worry, Octus knows right away if the rift gate has opened, so we can prepare to attack whatever the heck it is." Baron didn't seem to convinced, but didn't question her anymore as she said good night and went upstairs to her bedroom.

Now, you might be wondering, why wasn't Ilana siding with Lance and not accepting Baron. Well, let's say it was you who had to leave your planet, your kingdom, your own father, and come to a foreign planet because of some war. Now, lets say you had no communication with your kingdom and had no clue if your father was injured or dead _or _how bad the war actually was. And now, you have a soldier from your side to tell you everything you want to know and more. This is how Ilana felt about Baron: A person who wasn't trying to kill her that could tell her what's up in Galaluna. So why wasn't she listening to Lance? Well, that was his opinion, and Ilana dosen't judge people like that.

Ilana lay in her bed, thinking about Baron. She couldn't help it, she felt as though a part of Galaluna had come to comfort her. _Besides, _She thought before she doze off to sleep, _He is kind of cute...for a soldier, that is..._

Lance, on the other hand, tried not to think of Baron as he lay in his bed. He kept tossing and turning, thinking to himself, _Why did Ilana let him stay? Why didn't she listen to me? Why? _Then he answered himself, saying it was in her blood to help those in need. Lance, however, did not. The first thing he did when they arrived home was go straight to his room, not wanting to look at Baron's face for one more second. _Ilana, why didn't she listen to me? Why did she just accept him? Of all people, he had to come to Earth_. Lance sighed and rolled onto his side_. Only for a couple of days...she promised only for a few days..._He kept repeating to himself as he too, dozed off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Lance awoke that Sunday morning only to find Ilana and Baron sitting at the kitchen table. They were laughing, talking, and eating scrambled eggs. Lance grumbled to himself and sat down beside Ilana, but as far away from Baron as he could get.

"Good Morning, Lance." Octus said (As Mr. Lunis) while getting him a plate of scrambled eggs, "Would you like some orange juice, too?"

"Sure, whatever." Said Lance as he listened to Ilana and Baron talk about their high school.

"It's kind of like an academy, but we go there every Monday through Friday, and we can come home after since it's a public high school, any teenager can join it." Ilana explained while eating more scrambled eggs.

"Interesting," Baron said. Lance glared at him, noticing he was wearing his t-shirt and pants. "Earthings have such strange customs."

"Well, you get used to it." Ilana giggled, and then she looked at Lance, as though she was just noticing him, "What?"

"Nothing," Lance mummled as he took a bite at his breakfast.

It was silent for a moment, the only sound was from Lance's fork scraping his plate. Then Mr. Lunis said to break the silence, "Ilana, why don't you and Lance show Baron around the neighborhood?"

Ilana squealed, "Sure!" The same time Lance yelled, "NO!"

The princess glared at him before he said defensively, "What? I have to work on my car." And he took a sip of his orange juice.

Ilana sighed and rolled her eyes before saying to Baron in a sweet voice, "Don't worry Baron, I'll show you around town. Maybe if we can get ready fast we can finish the tour before lunch. Octus is making goulash and garlic bread."

"It's my speciality." Mr. Lunis added.

Baron smiled, "Sure, I'll get ready. I can hardly wait for tour." He said to Ilana. She smiled as her cheeks turned pink.

_Ugh, _Lance thought to himself, _he makes me sick. _

* * *

Lance wasn't lying when he said he had to work on his car, but actually he only had to wash it. He started on it when Baron and Ilana had left, and was taking his sweet time. He had only washed the left side when Mr. Lunis came in to see him.

"Hello Lance." He said, standing by the doorway.

"'Sup Octus." Lance said, "I mean-dad." He kept scrubbing as Mr. Lunis came over.

"So...I noticed you have negative feelings toward Baron." He said as Lance splashed more soap on the window.

"Yeah, so?" asked Lance.

"Well, Ilana suggested you moved past it, and maybe give Baron a second chance." The robot said, but Lance soon snapped back an answer at him.

"Second chance? Why? Octus, he tried to _KILL ME! _I will never forgive him, ever!" Lance yelled, clearly angry.

"Lance, please calm down, the neighbor's might hear you." Mr. Lunis said calmly.

"I don't care." said Lance facing his car that was dripping with soapy water.

Mr. Lunis walked over by him, and said, "Please Lance, just try to lighten up around him. I know you, well, dislike him, but just try to treat him a little better," He paused, "For Ilana." Then he headed inside their house.

Lance sighed and started to soak his sponge again._ Maybe Octus was right, I mean, that was when we were kids. And I did some stuff I regret. _He thought to himself, _And If Ilana trusts him, then maybe I could give him a chance. _Then another tiny part of his brain reminded him of that smile she gave Baron this morning, and a cold icy feeling entered his stomach.

* * *

The park was covered in snow, but no one seemed to mind. Kids still slid down the slides and went across the monkey bars. Teenagers were having a snowball fight. Older couples sat together on park benches, and Ilana and Baron were walking on the shoveled sidewalk, both of them had pink cheeks and noses and a cup of hot chocolate Ilana bought for them at a local diner. Baron was wearing Lance's blue coat, gloves, hat and scarf (Lance didn't know) and Ilana wore her purple coat with matching gloves and hat. They were having a wonderful morning so far.

"So, what exactly is this made of?" Baron asked, holding up his cup of hot chocolate.

"Well, chocolate mostly, thats why they call it 'hot chocolate'." Ilana said smiling.

Baron gave her a face. "Stop making me feel stupid," he said before he took a big gulp of his drink. Then saying as he spatted it out, "Ouch! It' hot!"

Ilana laughed, "Like I said, '_hot _chocolate'!"

Baron eventually started laughing with her, and Ilana spilt some of her hot chocolate on herself, and they started to laugh some more. When both of them finally caught her breath, Ilana smiled up at him.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" Baron asked.

"No, it's just-" said the princess. She then shrugged, "Its just I've never had this much fun with anyone for a while. Octus dosen't really know how and Lance," She sighed, "Lance isn't really the one to just 'hang' with."

Baron frowned, "Why not?"

"He's kind of, overprotecting. I guess he thinks my safety is more important than me having fun." She said, staring at the sidewalk.

"Well," Baron said after a moment of silence, "I'm having fun, more fun than I've had in months. And I'm also kind of protecting you, cause you know, I'm a soldier." He smiled as she looked up at him. "Are you having fun?" He asked.

Ilana nodded and smiled. Baron smiled back and took her hand as they continued their walk in the park.


	4. Chapter 4

Modula was getting restless. Every single one of his monsters had failed. The princess always had beaten it with her gigantic robot that the king knows about. Even if the monster is larger, stonger, or faster than the last, it will always, _always _get beaten. He knew that the princess, the only hope for Galaluna, needed to be destroyed in order to win.

"My Lord?" said a raspy voice. Modlula turned around from his window and saw a short creature with gray, warty skin and webbed feet, but hands with four long fingers each. The creature also had a long royal blue cloak what matched his small eyes. Modula knew he was one of the smarter Mutraddi, and he requested a meeting with him, saying he had just what Modula wanted.

"This had better be worth it." The gerneral growled at him.

"Oh it will be, I promise." said the creature, nervously eyeing the green eye on Modula's hat.

"Then why don't we sit down?" Modula said coldly, striding towards the red chairs in the room. The creature took a deep breath and followed him. When they were seated Modula asked him, "So, what is it, Kleefin? What do you have for me?"

"Yes, yes, my Lord. I was just getting to that." Kleefin said. He leaned foward and said in almost a whisper, "Remember when you told me the princess had two others on the planet with her?" Modula nodded, almost bored now. "Well, what if we use of them to destroy the princess!"

Modula looked at him for a moment before saying, "What in the universe are you talking about?"

Kleefin grinned slyly and snapped his fingers. Two creatures very similar to him, exept they weren't wearing blue cloaks, came through the large wooden doors carrying a metal cage. Inside the cage was a black beetle the size of a human head with 40 small legs and two pinchers. It kept trying to pry the bars so it could escape, but didn't succeed.

"It's small." was the first thing Modula said. The beetle stopped and made a werd clicking sound at him.

"Exactly. So it won't be seen as a threat." Kleefin explained with a proud grin, "The pichers have vemom in them so whoever she bites, it will have a hunger to destroy the princess and that person will not stop until it can be satisfied."

Kleefin waited for the general to praise him on his work, but instead he asked, "And what if it bites the wrong person, hmm? What if the victim doesn't even know the princess?"

"Ahh, I have already figured that out." said Kleefin, "I have had her memorize the princess from her apperance to her scent. It will find the royal highness, and bite the first person it sees communicating with her. So therefor, the princess will know him or her, and not see them as a threat, and she will be dead before you can say 'Modula, Ruler of Galaluna.'"

Modula thought about this new monster, and then finally came to a decision, "Very well. We will use your insect. But if you fail, Kleefin, your life will be over."

He nodded nervously, eyeing that green eye again as the two creatures took the cage out of the room, to where it will be sent to Earth.

* * *

This was probably one of the worst day of Lance's life. Octus had signed Baron to go to their high school and just 'happen' to put him in Lance's homeroom. Everyone was seated. Some kids were texting, others were talking to each other. Baron sat in the front row, looking uncertain and uncomfortable. Lance knew the only reason he was here was because Octus said it was the only way to protect Ilana. Some kids looked at him and wondered who he was, but Lance knew they'd find out soon.

"All right class, settle down." Said their teacher, Mr. Shepard, "We have a new student in our homeroom. Baron...Lunis?"

"No, you can just call me Baron." Baron said hastly, getting up and walking to the front of the room, "I am not related to the Lunis', but they have been friends of my family."

Lance rolled his eyes. He knew Ilana and Baron were making up his story ever since they came back from their walk. Octus had helped them, Lance didn't care. All he cared about was that Baron wasn't going to start beating another helpless kid up.

"My mother died when I was a baby, and my father is an archeologist in Canada." Baron explained to the class. Some of the girls 'ooed' at that. "He asked Lance's dad," everyone glanced at Lance, and then back to Baron, "If I could stay with them for a few months, while he continues his dig. So I hope to get to know all of you while I stay here." Baron beamed at them and Lance almost laughed at the silence he had recieved. He was just like Ilana on the first day at school, thinking everyone will be their friend because they're of higher rank.

"Yes, thank you Baron." said Mr. Shepard as Baron went back to his desk, "Remember class, that tomorrow-"

Lance wasn't listening. He looked at Baron who was smiling and waving to everyone. Lance glared at him with so much hatred that the red-headed boy sitting next to him scooted farther away from him. Why was he the only one that saw through him? Why was he the only one who could see the evil in him?

* * *

Ilana saved Baron a seat at lunch. She was sitting across from Newton, who was secretly scanning the pizza with his robot eyes like he always does. Baron sat next to her, that cute grin smiling at her. Her heart fluttered.

"Hello Ilana. Newton." He said as he unfolded his napkin, "Where's Lance?"

"I'm not sure." Newton said, speaking for the first time since Baron sat down, "He told me he might be a few minutes late."

"I wonder why?" Said Baron as he took a bite into the pizza, made a face, and then swallowed it with a pained expression.

"Don't like it?" Ilana asked. Baron nodded. "Yeah, the food here is not the greatest." Baron gave her a half-smile and chugged down some milk.

"Um...Baron?" Newton said looking over his shoulder, "Those girls think your cute."

Baron and Ilana both spun around to see a few preppy girls in short skinny jeans and tight shirts giggling at Baron and whispering to each other. Ilana felt a pang of jealousy, noticing how prettier the girls looked than her and her pink a blue plaid skirt and white blouse.

"I honestly don't care." said Baron, turning back to face Newton, "They're nothing compared to you, Ilana." He looked at her and smiled as her face turned red.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah. Really." He smiled another cute smile and started on his chocolate chip cookie. Ilana smiled to herself as Newton raised an eyebrow at her. She felt her heart pounding as they continued lunch, feeling something toward Baron she's never felt before. Well, except...

* * *

Lance left as soon as the bell rang for lunch. He was sitting in his car, the windows rolled down half way to let the cool breeze in. Why was he feeling like this? Maybe he should just forgive Baron. I mean, come on! They were older now, more mature. But Baron was still evil, Lance was so sure of it.

"Hey." Said a voice from outside the car. Lance looked up and saw Kristin, a girl with dark black hair and a white stocking cap and a dark blue winter coat. She was holding two styro foam cups of hot chocolate. "Want some?" She asked holding one through the opened part of the window.

"Sure, thanks." He said taking the cup and rolling the rest of the window down. The warm drink felt nice against his fingers.

She smiled back and took a sip of her hot chocolate before saying, "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Lance shrugged. "Just needed to clear my mind, that's all."

"Clear it about what?" She asked concerned. Lance just shrugged again and took a gulp of hot chocolate. Kristin sighed and leaned against the car. "You know, sometimes it's actually okay to talk about your feelings."

Ugh. Lance's least favorite thing to do. "It's just...Baron."

"The new kid who's your family's friend?" Kristin said taking another sip.

"Everyone's but mine." Lance muttered. "He's-been my mortal enemy since we were in school together. He would beat me up and humiliate me and-"

"That jerk." said Kristin. Lance put on a half smile. "Then why is your sister all goo-goo eyes on him?"

"Well cause-" said Lance. He stopped and slowly looked up at her. "Goo-goo eyes?"

"Yeah. I thought they were dating or something. Are they?" She asked. Lance didn't answer, but looked away with a hated look on his face. "Look, I know you don't like him and stuff and he's a dirtbag. But I do know that holding a grudge and being an overprotected brother is just going to pull you and Ilana apart."

She paused as Lance took this in. Of course, Kristin just though they were siblings, nothing more. But since they came to Earth, Lance had felt something different whenever he was aroung the princess. Like a warm sun growing in his heart. Now whenever Baron's around her and her eyes are only on him, the sun is replaced by a raging fire seeking to destroy.

"Think about talking to him maybe." Kristin said bringing Lance back from his thinking-mode, "maybe then you can forgive each other."

Lance simply nodded as the bell rang. Kristin waved good-bye and walked in the school. Lance soon followed, considering her advice.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the comments everyone! I really appreciate them! You guys rock!**

* * *

"What's a Valentine's Dance?" Baron asked Ilana the next day in the hallway before first hour. "Some kids were talking about it this morning."

Ilana looked taken back by the question and felt her cheeks flush. Baron didn't seem to notice. He kept looking at her for an answer. "Well," She finally said, "Valentine's Day is a day that Earthlings express their love for others by doing romantic things like giving each other cards or flowers. And since it's this Friday, the school is having a dance to celebrate it."

Baron understood and nodded, "So, you would need a dance partner, right?" Ilana nodded again, her cheeks going pink again. "Well, would you-" Then of course, the bell rang.

"Let's go, Ilana!" Newton said, coming up behind them, "I can't be late for our biology test!" He took Ilana's arm and led her toward the classroom.

"I'll talk to you later, Baron!" She called to him.

Baron waved to her, feeling a bit crushed. He was going to ask her to be his date, but perhaps he'll just ask her later. In a more, romantic way...

* * *

Everyone was talking about it. Who they were going with, what they were going to wear, how much their shoes cost. Everywhere you look, that was people's conersations.

But Lance was already getting sick of it. He knew Ilana would make him go, date or no date. If he said he had nothing to wear, she'd just say wear the tux you did at homecoming.

Homecoming. Lance remembered that night perfectly. Ilana had worked so hard to make it just like her home and Octus got dumped by Kimmy. He remembers, most of all, when he danced with the princess.

He had put on a wide hat with a feather, just the king did. Ilana had smiled her perfect smile and then they danced together. Alone, in the gym. Just him and her. It was one of the best nights of his life...

But, it was over now. She was crazy for Baron now. Lance saw the way she looks at him. Octus seems oblivious to the whole situation, but Lance is not an idiot. Even if he asked Ilana to come with him to the dance, people would question it. They were suppose to be brother and sister, nothing more, nothing less.

Still, Lance has felt something everytime he's near her. Even if he won't admit it to himself, it was something more than just a brotherly emotion.

* * *

"Just tell me!" Ilana said as she and Baron strolled on the sidewalk on mainstreet. It was after school, and Baron said he wanted to take her somewhere special. He wouldn't say anything else, so he just took her hand and led her through town.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!" He said, smiling at her. She couldn't help but smile back. They kept walking hand-in-hand, until they reached the park on the edge of town. The park was complete with a lake (now frozen), a swing set, four picnic tables, and a broken fountain in the middle. Everything was either covered in snow or ice.

"What are we doing here?" Ilana asked, adjusting her lime green scarf.

Baron didn't say anything. He lead her toward the sidewalk that wrapped around the lake. Ilana couldn't help notice how the frozen lake looked like a diamond as it sparkled in the afternoon sun. They strolled on the sidewalk as she took in the white scenerey. Baron stopped at a bench next to the lake and asked if they could sit down. She said sure.

"Ilana," Baron said as he put an arm around her shoulders. Ilana's heart thumped like crazy. "I was going to ask you today in the hallway, before we were rudely interrupted by that loud bell," Ilana grinned, "But, you would like to be my date to the Valentine's Dance?"

Ilana's heart was thumping so hard she was worried that it might jump out of her chest. "I would love to." She finally said. Baron smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Now, Ilana's heart froze when he made contact with her skin. But he kept looking into her wide eyes as she looked back in his. Then, Baron started to slowly lean foward.

_Oh, my. What should I do?_ Ilana thought to herself. Instead of thinking it over she leaned foward as well. Then their lips met, and the princess experienced her first kiss. It was like in those romantic movies when it started to lightly snow ontop of them. But the two didn't seem to notice. They were only focused on each other.

All of the sudden, Baron drew back while giving a sharp cry of pain. Ilana asked, worried, "What's wrong." As if to answer, she saw Baron's pant leg torn, and two little bit mark just above the ankle. He was bleeding bad. "Oh my God." She said as he lifted his leg so he could see it.

Baron moaned in pain. Ilana looked around, trying to see if maybe a squirrel had bitten him or something. He then tried to get up, but Ilana pushed him back down, "No, stay put. I'm going to call Octus." She then reached for her watched that switched on her armor and called Octus.

"Ilana, is everything okay?" Octus said, concerned.

"Baron got bit. I don't know if it's from an animal with rabies or not." she answered while Baron tried to use his plaid scarf as a make-shift bandage for his wound. "Can you please come down quickly and pick us up?"

"I'm already half way there." The robot said.

"Thanks, Octus." She said and then hung up. Ilana then tried to see if Baron could stand. Once he was on his feet, she helped him walk to the park's entrance.

No one noticed a large black beetle scurrying away from the princess and her wounded friend.


	6. Chapter 6

"Ow, OW!" Baron cried in pain as Mr. Lunis removed his scarf to reveal the injury. It was still bleeding in the area, but no swelling.

"Hmm..." Mr. Lunis observed as he scanned it with his robotic eyes.

"Will he be alright?" Ilana asked. This was the third time this question has left her mouth since they came home and helped Baron on their sofa. So far no one had answered.

"Well, there are no signs of rabies, or venom of any kind." The robot said, still scanning, "It seems that the insect just had very sharp teeth and was carnivores."

"Insect?" Ilana and Baron asked at the same time.

"Yes. Now Ilana, could you get some fresh bandages from the bathroom cupboard?" Mr. Lunis asked as he looked at the princess. She nodded and ran to the bathroom, grabbing as much bandages as she could. When she brought them to him, he put them on Baron's bite with great skill.

"Where's Lance?" Ilana asked, watching as Baron winced in pain as the bandages touched the injury.

"The rift gate had opened, so him and I went to check it out." Mr. Lunis explained, "You were with Baron, so I knew you'd be safe until we returned. But then you contacted me, telling me what happened, Lance said he would stay and still find out what came."

Ilana still had questions, "What came through? Did you see it? Does Lance know Baron's hurt?"

"Ilana, I have no idea what it was. Lance heard you talking to me, so yes, he does know." The robot answered as he stood up. "Actually, I should call him, to make sure he's alright."

* * *

Lance had been wandering around the forest outside of Sherman for a while now in his Manus armor, and hasn't seen anything. Seriously, you'd think an alien would be easy to find!

Octus had said it came from the northeast, so thats where Lance had been heading. Octus would have stayed, if Ilana hadn't called him. Lance originally thought they should warn Ilana about the rift gate situation, but Octus said she would be safe with Baron. Because Baron's _such _a trustworthly person!

Lance shook his head, clearing his mind. He told himself he'd lay off Baron, for Ilana. But hey, Baron's hurt now!

_Wait, _Lance thought_, That means Ilana will be his private nurse. _He smashed a tree in anger. But why should he be angry? Ilana digs Baron. End of story. He's her bodyguard, not her boyfriend.

_Boyfriend_. Lance really never thought of that word. Especially when he thought of the princess. I mean, it just wasn't meant to be. No matter what feelings he felt for her.

Then his eyes caught something moving between the trees. It was small, but Lance followed it. It seemed to moving quickly, but he finally caught up with it.

"Is that a..." Lance asked himself, confused, "Beetle?"

It was, in fact, a black beetle. A huge one, actually. Lance's scanners told him it was Mutraddi, so he took out his Manus armor gun, and with a big bang, the beetle was dead.

* * *

"Kleefin, won't they notice the beetle's venom?" Modula asked as he stared at the large screen monitoring the bug's heartbeat and vemon amount. As of right now, all the vemon had left it's body.

"Don't worry, my lord." Kleefin answered, his webbed fingers working the controllers, "My monster's vemon blends in with the victim's blood. So you have no idea anything affected you."

"Hmm..." Modula stroked his beard, "That's pretty clever. But I still don't have much faith in the bug."

"Excuse me?" Kleefin asked as he looked up at his boss, "I'll have you know, my lord, that I have been working on this bug to perfection! The vemon won't fail! I bet my life on it!"

"Oh really?" The general said, smiling slightly, "I'll take that bet."

Kleefin blinked, "What?"

"If the princess dosen't die within the week, you're dead." He said, pointing at the eye on his hat. "Understood?"

Kleefin stammered. Modula raised an eyebrow. Finally, the creature said, "Absolutly, my leige."

Then, all of the sudden, the beetle's heartbeat speeded up. Faster and faster, as if it was running. The two of them leaned foward. Before they knew it, the heartbeat stopped, leaving them with a straight line.

"It dosen't matter." Kleefin said nervously, "The vemon has left, that means it's bitten someone."

"And the princess will be dead before the end of the week, right?" Modula growled. Kleefin nodded, and turned away from the general.

* * *

Lance arrived home around 7:30. He walked in to find Ilana sitting on the couch, changing a bandage on Baron's ankle. They were both smiling and laughing. Lance coughed really loud to get their attention.

"Lance! You're back!" Ilana cried when she noticed him. She got up and followed him into the kitchen.

"What's wrong with him?" He asked, getting himself a glass of water.

Ilana sat down at the table before answering, "Octus says it's just a bug bite. A large bug did it. He says there's no infection-"

"Wait, what kind of bug? How big?" Lance suddenly asked, cutting her off. The memory of the Mutraddi beetle entered his mind.

"Um. Not gigantic. Octus says probably a wasp or mosquito." She said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because. The Mutraddi that landed was a huge beetle of some kind. But I killed it before it could do any harm." He said, sitting beside her.

They were silent for a moment. Then Ilana asked, "Why would they send a beetle after me?"

Lance shrugged, taking a sip of water. "Maybe it could tranform into a eighty-foot beast, I dunno."

Ilana gave him a half smile, then paused before saying, "Octus says he can't walk for awhile, and he won't be able to go to school tomorrow."

"Why not?" Lance asked, taking another gulp of water, "It's just a bug bite."

"Yes, but Baron's body isn't used to Earth insects! That's why he's bleeding so much! Octus says he might heal before-" Then she stopped before she could say anything to upset Lance.

But he wanted to know, "Before what?"

"Nothing." Ilana said quickly and got up. She started to leave, but Lance caught her arm.

"Before what?" He repeated. "You're algerbra test? The dance on Friday? The-" Then he stopped as he saw Ilana's face turn red from the last question.

"Oh, no." He froze, not believing her, "Don't tell me you're going with that lying, no good, freakish-"

"LANCE!" She yelled, her entire face looking as red as a cherry, "He's not at all like that! He's sweet, and kind, and he cares about me!"

"Oh, and you think I don't care about you!" Lance yelled back. He froze again, realizing what he just said.

Ilana was breathing fast, but responded calmly. "I'm going to care for Baron until that wound heals. And then I'm going to the dance with him. And that's that." She jerked away from him and went to the living room, where she tended to Baron.

Lance stayed where he was. He stared at his glass of water, half empty. _She didn't even notice what I told her. _He thought to himself_, She only cares about him. And now I can't do anything about it._


	7. Chapter 7

Ilana measured the flour carefully, making sure the measurement was exact. She was only getting a 99% in the Foods and Nutrition class, and was praying that if her group did a good job on their chocolate chip cookies, she'll go up and finally have 100% in every class.

The rest of her group just wanted to get the assignment done as quickly as possible. Amber, the blonde cheerleader with pigtails, stood off to the side filing her nails. Jason, Ilana's friend, was measuring salt. The other was Agnus, a redheaded girl with glasses who kept texting her friends about how hot Lance was. As Ilana poured in the flour in the bowl and reached for the butter, Amber walked up to her.

"So...Ilana, right?" She asked. Ilana nodded as she gently put the butter in. "I really like your shirt today!"

"Um...thanks, Amber." Ilana said, confused. She had worn her purple top three times this school year. And she didn't know why Amber complimented it, since flour had landed on it and her apron.

"Yeah. So anyway," Amber continued, leaning against the counter. Her apron and cheerleader uniform had absolutly nothing on it. "Where's your friend Baron?"

"He's sick." Ilana answered, watching as Jason put the salt in. She then reached for the brown sugar, ready to pack it in the measuring cup. "Oc-I mean Dad says he'll be better by tomorrow."

"Right." Amber said, looking disappointed. "I was kinda hoping he'd be here, to ask me to the dance this Friday, since my boyfriend dumped me and-"

"He's already going with someone!" Ilana said louder than she wanted. Jason turned his head the same time Agnus looked up from her phone.

"With who?" Agnus asked, her eyes widening under her round glasses. Ilana was wishing she hadn't said anything. She stood there frozen.

"Is it with Monica? Because I swear-" Amber began, but Ilana cut her off.

"No! He's taking me!" Then her face went red. Everyone stared at her, the two girls with their mouth hanging open, Jason's eyebrows went up.

"Back to work!" Miss McHanson said to their group. Everyone turned toward her as she crossed her skinny arms and glared at them under her square glasses.

Ilana hurried hastily back to the mixing bowl and started to crack the eggs. Jason was following her lead and began to clear the counter. Amber and Agnus, however, began to text their friends as soon as Miss McHanson turned away. Ilana knew that by lunch, the whole school will know about her and Baron going to the dance.

* * *

Newton sat at the table in the cafeteria, analysing the spaghetti on hs lunch tray. Lance sat across from him, munching on his brownie. Through the crowd of students, he could make out Ilana rushing in.

"Over here!" Newton raised his hand and waved to her. She sat down next to Lance, staring at her food.

"What's up?" Lance asked, noticing she hadn't said anything in the five seconds she sat down.

She opened her mouth to speak, but Monica, a cheerleader with brown curly hair, came up to her and asked with one hand on her hip, "Is it true what Amber said? Are you dating Baron?"

"Um...yes." Ilana said quietly.

"Cool." Monica said and headed back to her table to confirm the message.

There was a moment of silence before Newton said, "I didn't know you were dating Baron!"

"I'm not!" Said Ilana, her cheeks turning red. "I mean, we're going to the dance together, but we're not actually a couple!"

Maribel, Ilana's plump friend, came over to her. "Ilana! I heard the news about you and Baron! I'm going with Jason so we should go dress shopping together!"

"That sounds like fun!" Newton said cheerfully, "You should go, Ilana!"

"Um. Sure Maribel." She said, uncomfortably shifting her tray.

"Okay! We'll go tomorrow after school! See you then!" Maribel said as she walked away to sit with Jason. Ilana sighed as she opened her milk carton to take a drink.

Newton noticed her being glum and asked, "What's wrong? I thought you'd be more happy to go to the Valentine's Dance."

"I am." She said, "It's just- Baron's still ill and what if he doesn't get better? And everyone's expecting us to go and I don't want to get my hopes up and-"

"Ilana. You shouldn't focus on the negative. I was monitoring Baron all night, and he seemed to be only having migraines. I am certain he will be fine by tomorrow."

"Oh, thank God." She said, a sigh of relief exiting her body. She then began to munch on her lunch. It seemed that only Newton noticed that Lance hadn't said a single word since Baron was mentioned, and was looking at his food with much anger on his face.

* * *

What has it been? An hour? Two hours? Baron didn't know, but the headache was still there. It was throbbing in his skull so much, he had taken all the medicine Octus had found for him in the bathroom cupboards. Nothing had worked.

He had now decided to lay on the couch and try to think of stuff that would distract him from the migraines. The fist thing that came to his head was Princess Ilana. His mind seemed to sigh when he pictured her gorgeous blonde hair, her sparkling eyes, her smile that seemed to light the room. He was pretty sure it was love at first sight when they met in the forest. She had offered to stay with him while he healed today. But he didn't want to keep her from her studies. Then, out of nowhere, a huge jolt of pain went in his head. Baron clutched his forehead and tried to think of something else.

Okay...what about Octus? He was nice to him, cared for him and gave him medicine. Sure, he was a robot. But it was almost like he was a person, too. Ilana seemed to trust him with her life, so he trusted him to. Octus wanted to stay home, too. But he again didn't want to keep him away from school. Octus was a genius at homework, so a day away from him wouldn't hurt his grades.

Baron sucked in a quick breath as more pain entered his skull. What was wrong? The bite had completely healed over night! Leaving barely a scar behind! Was he just not used to Earthling insects? That's what Ilana thought..._BAM! _More pain. Think of something else...think of anything else.

What about Lance? He wasn't exactly his friend, or his aquaintance for that matter. Baron knew he hated him, just by the way he looks at him. _I guess I deserve it._ Baron thought. He admits he was a bully to Lance at the academy. But his father had told him all these things about Lance's dad. Also, he was an orphan, a perfect target to pick on. Baron rolled on his side, a feeling of regret entering him.

He had also noticed the way Lance looks at Ilana. It was if she was the only thing he lived for in this world. A pang of jealousy replaced the regret. Well, Lance was to late. Ilana was his. And he cared for her with all his heart.

"AHHHH!" Baron cried as his skull suffered more torture. He clutched his forehead as he rushed to the bathroom. Maybe he should just puke and everything will go away. But when he saw himself in the mirror, he stopped to stare at himself, not reconizing his eyes. Because for some weird reason, they were darker, almost completely black.


	8. Chapter 8

Lance was running. Running through white smoke that covered both the ground and the sky. He couldn't see a thing, and wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for. He started to breath harder as he rushed foward into nothing.

He was then stopped by someone who just appeared infront of him. It was Ilana, in her gown she wore when they first came to Earth. Her hands were clutching her side, and when Lance reached out to help her, she raised one hand to him, which was dripping in blood.

Lance was shocked. He rushed foward, but she vanished into the smoke. "Ilana!" He cried, running to help her. Then he was stopped again by...his father? Exactly how Lance remembered him, tall with brown hair and a mustache. He still had on his glasses and lab coat.

"Father?" Lance asked, unsure he was really seeing him.

"Lance," His father said as he turned away, "Things will be alright...trust me." He then, too, disappeared in the smoke. Lance tried to catch up to him, but it was too late.

Then someone came up behind him. It was Baron. He was younger looking and had on his academy uniform. Lance stared down at him, and he stared up at Lance.

"I guess you dad was crazy after all," Baron sneered, his arms crossed, "when he blew himself up." Lance began to get angry and ran toward young-Baron, fists ready. But, like the last two, he vanished with the smoke.

What was going on? He tried to make sense of everything, then young-Baron came up to him again. His arms were behind his back. He handed Lance a bloody knife then casually walked away into the fog. Lance looked down at the knife, then up to find Ilana. Dress torn, hair a mess. She was laying on the ground, in a pool of her blood...

He sat up, breathing heavily. Lance found himself in his room, at night, his bare chest covered in a thin layer of ice-cold sweat. _It was a dream_, He told himself,_ Only a dream._ He suddenly felt freezing, and he put a blue t-shirt on.

Then he heard a high-pitched scream coming from the hallway.

* * *

It was her coronation. She was sitting on a throne, a beautiful purple dress covered her and trumpets played beside her. She was home, in Galaluna. Everyone she knew was there at the ceremony, including a large audiance of citizens. She saw Octus, in robot form. Her father, wearing his red suit beaming at her. Even Lance was there, in his military uniform and smiling.

He father came foward, carrying a golden crown with jewels. He stood infront of her lifting the crown for all to see. "I now crown thee, Queen Ilana of Galaluna." He said. Ilana bowed her head as he slowly put the crown down and rested it-

A huge crack began to form in the high ceiling. Everyone stopped and looked up, confused. It split in two and a hideous monter with eight arms and lizard-like skin and red eyes. It had to be as big as the castle itself. Lance and other guards began shooting at it, but nothing harmed it. It took one of it's arms and reached down toward the king. People started to scream.

"Ilana!" Her father yelled as he was swepted away from her. She stood up and reached for him. He was gone, the monster had crushed him into a million pieces.

"No!" Ilana cried. Citizens rushed out of the castle as the monster gave a terrible roar. She reached for the device on her wrist, but it wasn't there.

"Ilana! You need to get out of here!" Lance cried when he reached her. He put his hands on her shoulders, "Listen, if you leave now we can-" A gigantic arm swept him away. The monster now had both Octus and Lance in it's clutches.

"Stop! Please!" She begged. Tears began to slide down her cheeks.

The monster chuckled. Chuckled? Was that possible? It then said to her in a icy voice, "I am going to kill everyone you truely love, and there's nothing you can do about it." He laughed and then smashed Lance and Octus, their remains raining on her. She then screamed as it came toward her. She ran toward the door, but every step she took it got farther and farther away...

* * *

"Ilana! Ilana, wake up!" A voice said to her in the distance. Someone was shaking her. She snapped out of the nightmare, panting like crazy. Lance faced her, worry covered his face.

"Lance?" She asked in an alert tone. He sat at the edge of her bed, his hands on her shoulders. He was wearing a blue t-shirt and his white boxers.

"Are you alright? Was it-?" But he was cut off when she bolted up and hugged him around his chest.

"Oh, Lance. It was awful!" She cried, her face buried in his shirt. "It was at Galauna...and a monster...and everyone was dying!" Real tears flowed from her eyes and made his clothes wet.

Lance awkwardly wrapped his arms around her as she continued to cry. "Hey, hey. It's alright. It was only just a dream. It's over now." He whispered to her.

"But it was so real! And I couldn't help you and-" But a sob stopped her from finishing her sentence. They sat like that for a while, Lance comforting her while she continued crying. After she had calmed down and stopped, Lance handed her a tissue.

"Do you want me to get a glass of water for you?" He asked after she blew her nose.

"No thanks. I'm fine now." She tried to give him a smile. "Did I wake you?"

"Nah, I was already up." He said, "Having nightmares too."

"Oh." She said. Then she threw her tissue in the trash can.

They were silent for a moment, before Lance asked her a question. "Are you going to go dress shopping with Maribel today?"

Ilana nodded, "Yeah." She looked up at him, "Lance, are you still upset that I'm going with Baron?"

He was thankful for the little light in the room to hide his blush, "No. It's just I don't trust him. And you and him going to a dance together..."

"You can come too!" She said, "I wouldn't mind! Octus wants to go by himself, maybe you can too!"

Lance shrugged. But Ilana kept looking at him with pleading eyes. "Oh, fine." He mumbled. Ilana grinned. "But I'm not going to buy a new tux!" They both giggled. He then asked, "Will you be alright sleeping now?"

She nodded again, "Yeah, I think so." Lance then got up. Saying good night, he left the room. She settled down in her bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.

Ilana remembered the monster saying, 'I will kill everyone you truely love'. She saw him kill her father, Octus and Lance. But no Baron. She loved Baron, right? But the monster didn't kill him, he wasn't even in her dream. Were those three the only ones she _truely _loved? Her father, of course. Octus, yeah. He was like a second father to her. And Lance? He was like her brother, right?

Her mind didn't seem to agree. She reminded herself of that crush she had on Lance for awhile. Especially when they danced at homecoming. But, it was gone now, replaced with a crush for Baron. Sure, she still thought Lance was handsome, but still. She was with Baron now, and I guess she just never got the courage to tell Lance how she felt about him.

Ilana closed her eyes while she scoffed to herself. She has battled demons and monsters and still she couldn't tell a boy that she was madly in love with him.


	9. Chapter 9

She looked at herself in the long mirror. The purple sparkly dress was pretty, but _way _to short and had no back. Ilana sighed and heard Maribel call for her from the other side of the dressing room door. She opened the door to find her friend in a lime green dress that looked super small.

"What do you think?" Maribel asked, smiling holding her arms out to the side.

_Um...how do I say it nicely?_ Ilana thought. She finally told her, "Well, it looks nice. But lime green is not really your color."

Maribel's smiling turned into a frown and sat on one of the pink arm chairs. "I'll never find the perfect dress."

Ilana went to sit by her. "Yes you will, you've only tried on a couple dresses."

"I've tried on eight." Her friend said, adjusting her glasses. "Oh, Ilana, why can't I be as pretty as you?" She buried her face in her chubby hands.

Ilana was speechless for a second. No one told her she was pretty except Lan- "Maribel, you are pretty. Jason thinks you are."

"How do you know?"

"Why else would he ask you to the dance?" Ilana smiled as Maribel lifted her head slowly. She smiled at Ilana and hastily wiped her eyes. Ilana then got up and went to the isle with the dresses. She took three in Maribel's size (The right one) and three in her size. She came back to the dressing room and held out the clothes to Maribel, "Now _these" _She guestured to the larger size, "will make you look fantastic!"

The two girls continued shopping, trying on as many dresses until they found the perfect one. Ilana was squeezing in a teal party dress that poofed out from the waist down when Maribel confirmed her perfect outfit. It was a red dress that went to her feet and had spaghetti straps and a white sash around her wide waist. She agreed to help Ilana on her search.

After a skin-tight hot pink dress and a one-shoulder bright yellow dress, Ilana had found the perfect one. It fit her perfectly, it was the perfect color, did she mention perfect? Because it was. The price was nothing compared to the money Octus had gave her (He just made a ton of cash out of nowhere, like he did when they bought the house). Maribel had just enough, but Ilana offered to lend her some, but she refused it.

The two girls walked out of the store, pleased with themselves. Maribel was hoping Jason would like her dress, Ilana was hoping Lance would-I mean Baron, yeah, Baron would like her gown.

* * *

Lance sat on the bed in his plain room. He was doing his history homework, which was a bit boring for him. Why couldn't he switch Baron spots? He would have been on Galaluna fighting AND have Ilana by his side 24/7. He quickly shook his head and tried to focus on the text in his large book.

A knock came from his door. "Come in!" Lance said.

"Hello Lance." It was Octus, in dad form.

"Oh, hey Octus." Lance said. "Do you need something? Did the rift gate open?"

"Uh...no" He said. He closed the door. "I just noticed something today in school."

"Yeah, and what was that?" Lance asked.

Octus was silent for a moment, then told him, "When Ilana was walking around with Baron in the hallway, he seemed to be on edge, always jumping when someone besides Ilana went up to him."

"So?" Lance said a little too sourly.

"I'm not sure this is a side-effect from the medicine, but his heart rate was up really high."

"Why should I care?" Asked Lance, taking an intrest in his homework.

The robot didn't really know how to answer that, so he said, "Why does your heart rate go up when Ilana's around?"

Lance's cheeks blush. He mumbled, "I don't know."

"And your face. It gets red when I mention her!" He walked up to him, "Do you have-"

"No!" He shouted, throwing his book down. He then looked down, embarassed.

"It's alright if you do, Lance." Octus reassured him, "I promise I won't tell her."

"It dosen't matter now, Octus," Lance said glumly, picking up his book, "It's too late. She's crazy around Baron and he loves her."

_Then why does her heart rate go crazy when she's around him? _Octus wondered to himself. He then told Lance, "You know, we had to read a poem in English. It said that it's never to late to love."

"Yeah, but that was written by a dude who's been dead for over 200 years." He said. Then he apologized, "Sorry, Octus. It's just..." He sighed, "I don't really have a chance anymore."

"So...you do love her?" The robot asked.

Lance gave him a look. "Good-bye, Octus."

"But-but-" He stammered. Lance got up and literally pushed him ou the door. "Lance! Wait, I-"

"See ya later!" Then he shut the door. He wasn't going to discuss his feelings with anyone, especially a robot.

* * *

He heard the door open. A slam when it shut. Ilana cried, "Hello? Anyone home?"

Octus must of yelled from the kitchen, "I'm here! Making grilled cheese sandwiches!"

He heard her amazing laugh as she set something down with a _thump. _Then a voice called out, "Hey, Ilana!"

"Hey Baron." She said back. She walked up to him and asked, "How's your English essay going?"

"Fine." He said. She gave a small giggle. Lance glared at the wall. He had been listening the whole time from upstairs, waiting for Ilana to come upstairs so he could tell her how he felt. He would finally do it. He would. Could he?

He peeked around the corner, looking down at the scene in the living room. Baron was on the couch, typing on Ilana's laptop. She was hugging him around his neck from behind the sofa. Lance couldn't see Octus, but he could tell what Ilana's shopping back said: DANIELLE'S DRESSES. She had been shopping for the dress to wear to the dance...the one she was going with Baron.

"Can I see your dress?" Baron asked.

"No." She said simply. He looked up at her, confused. She laughed at his expression. "I want to surprise you! But I did get your tux. Do you want to see that?"

He sighed. "Sure." He held her hand and followed her to the door where his suit was. It was a simple tuxedo, all black with a white tie. He smiled at it. "Nice."

"You like it?" Ilana asked as she held it.

"Of course." He then gave her a kiss. Not on the cheek, but right on her lips. And worse, she kissed him back. Lance felt like someone sucked all the air out of his lungs. He jurked back behind the wall, clutching his chest.

He couldn't do it. Not after what he just witnessed. It really _was_ to late. He had waited too long. She was Baron's now. How on Earth was he going to tell her now?


	10. Chapter 10

Today was it. The Valentine's Day dance. That's what everyone talked about at school. Who was going with who, what dress they got, and why the school should have hired a better DJ. Lance couldn't care less.

He avoided everyone today. Ilana, Baron, every teacher, every cheerleader, and even Kristin, who just accepted it. He however, didn't ignore Newton. Newton just thought this was normal behavior for Lance.

So at lunch he asked him a question. "So, are excited for tonight?"

Lance looked up from his chicken nuggets. He looked at Newton for a long time before saying with no expression. "No."

"W-why not? It's Baron's first school dance on Earth. And Ilana's excited because-"

"Newton, I could care less." He took a chug from the milk carton.

Newton just kept staring at him. "So...you're not going to go then?"

Lance sighed and was about to answer, but then his eyes flickered toward the entry to the cafeteria. Newton looked that direction too. Ilana and Baron were just coming in, holding hands and laughing.

Lance gobbled up the rest of his food in three seconds and then got up and left. "Lance!" Newton called out to him, but he had already left the room.

"Hey, Newton!" Ilana said, sitting down across from him and setting her tray of food on the table. "Where's Lance?"

"He...left." Answered Newton. He was so confused.

Baron sat next to Ilana as he placed his tray on the table. "He probably had something to do." He told her.

She shrugged. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She then took a bit into her chicken nuggets. "Hey, these aren't cold!"

Newton turned as she and Baron talked to each other. He scanned the outside of the cafeteria, looking for where Lance had gone. He saw that he was heading to the other side of the school, as if he was trying to get as far away as possible...

"Hey Newton! Guess what?" Baron said. The robot quickly turned off the scanners and turned toward the blonde boy. "I found out that the DJ is famous for picking out the perfect songs for slow-dancing! You could still find a date, since you're going..."

"That's okay, Baron." Newton said, "I don't mind going solo..." His eyes traveled toward the cheerleader's table, where he saw Kimmy, his ex-girlfriend, sitting by her friends. And that one guy, Brandon, was sitting next to her. Newton had heard they were going to the dance together, but she looked miserable sitting there.

"Oh, okay then." Baron said. He bit into his peanut butter cookie.

Newton stayed silent, listening to their conversations. He would respond occasionally, but his thoughts were on Lance. What was bugging him? Baron? But why? Was it because he was going to the dance with Ilana?

Newton gasped loudly. The two teenagers looked at him. The robot stood up. "I'm finished with my food." He said. He took his tray and quickly went out of the room, dumping his tray on the way. Ilana and Baron looked at him with bewilderment, but soon returned to talking again.

* * *

They were home now, and the dance was about to start. Ilana had been getting ready in her room for a couple hours now. She had brushed her blonde hair and hairsprayed it. She had put on her pink lipstick and mascara. And now it was time to slip into her new dress.

It had been hanging up on her closet door since yesterday. She was eager to put it on. When she did, she examined herself in the full-body mirror that hung on the wall. It was beautiful, no doubt about that. It was magenta with a pale pink sash across her waist with a matching flower on her hip. It went down all the way to her feet and had spaghetti straps. Her high heels were also pale pink, and she wore a necklace with a faux diamond around her neck.

"Ilana! Are you ready?" Octus called from downstairs. He was coming, too. But not Lance. He went straight to his bedroom when he came home, and even told Octus that he planned to stay there all night.

"Coming!" She called back. Ilana grabbed her small purse (That was also pale pink) and rushed to open her door. She walked out and stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at her date and the robot in a tux. She smiled down at them.

"Woah..." Baron said, looking up at her. He had on his tuxedo and his hair was combed back. Octus was in his Newton body and had his tux on as well. They both smiled at her as Baron said, "You look amazing!"

"Thanks. You do to." Ilana told him as she walked down the stairs to him.

Newton held up a digital camera. "I bought this to capture the moment." He looked at the couple, "So, maybe you should stand together."

"Oh. Okay." They both said. Baron put his arm around Ilana's waist and she put hers around his. Newton held the camera up and snapped the picture. After he was done, he held out the camera so they could see the photo. Ilana noticed that Baron had dark circles under his already too-dark eyes. She shrugged, maybe it was the lighting.

"We better get going." Newton said, looking at the clock. Ilana grabbed her wrap and Baron took her hand and escorted her to the car.

Ilana had a good feeling that this was going to be a great night.

She still couldn't help looking back at the house, hoping a familiar figure would follow.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading! The dance is going to be in the next chapter! So excited! Please review (I love to read them!) And thanks again! **


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter is dedicated to purpledragon6, who has commented the most times on this story and was also the very first to. Hope you enjoy:)**

* * *

The gym was decorated with pink, red, and white streamers and lots of cut-out hearts. A band of teenagers were on the stage playing a upbeat song. Many students were already there with their dates dancing in the middle of the room.

"It's a lot louder than in Galaluna." Baron pointed out. He and Ilana were standing in the entrance of the gym. Newton was standing behind them.

"Well, I guess Earth dances enjoy it like this." She told him. She then took his hand and lead him inside. Newton followed closely behind them.

Ilana took Baron's hand and lead him inside. She saw Jason and Maribel awkwardly dancing together on the dance floor. Jason was wearing the same tuxedo he wore for homecoming and Maribel had on her new red dress and she had curled her hair.

"Hey guys!" Ilana said, waving to them.

"Hi, Ilana!" Maribel said back to her, waving as well, "Hi, Baron!"

"Hello." Baron said politely. He then started to rub his temple, as if he had a headache.

Ilana leaned over to him and whispered, "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine." He answered. "I think I'm just going to get some punch..." He left, heading over to the refreshment table.

"What's up with him?" Jason asked, scratching the back of his head.

Ilana shrugged, "I think he just had a headache. He'll be fine." _I think..._She added in her thoughts. What if the pain is coming back from after he got bitten by that insect? And why, on all nights, tonight?

* * *

Lance was laying on the sofa in the living room, sound asleep. After everyone had left, he had turned on the TV and started watching something about a fantasy war, and a magical ring...he was interested, at first. But soon drifted into dreamland, which was where he was now.

His dream had begun with him in the gym at the school. He was in the middle of it, looking around to see a bunch of other students slow dancing around him. They all wore formal clothes and didn't even glance at him.

Lance started turning in circles, looking for something, or someone. He wasn't sure. He began walking through the crowded gym, and still no one seemed to notice him. He saw familiar faces, like Octus and Kimmy, who were slow dancing together. But wait, hadn't they broken up?

In a confused state, Lance began to walk a little slower. The music seemed to get softer as he approached someone. Two someones actually. It was Ilana and Baron. They, too, were slow dancing together. Off in their own world, seeing no one else besides each other. Smiles filled both faces. Lance wasn't even noticed.

He rushed to Ilana, trying to get her attention. He was shouting to her, saying how he really felt about her. Not just as a bodyguard or a brother, but he loved her in a different way. Like how Octus loved Kimmy.

She ignored him comletely, only smiling at Baron. Lance was just air to her, he was entirely invisible. Or was he? Maybe she just chose to ignore him. Maybe she didn't care what he felt. It didn't matter to her.

Ilana then leaned up to Baron's ear, whispering words that broke Lance's heart. "I've always loved you, Baron."

Dream over. Lance jolted up from his sleep. He was breathing deeply, clutching his pillow. That wasn't a dream, it was a nightmare. A horrible one. He slowly turned towards the TV, seeing that the movie was now over and credits were rolling.

He quickly got up and ran to his room. Lance threw open his closet door and pulled out something. He decided he _was _going to the dance. He had to man up and tell Ilana, before it was too late and her heart had decided it belonged to someone else.

* * *

The band was now playing a slower song, and couples were now dancing together. Including Ilana and Baron. Her arms were around his neck and his hands were placed on her waist. They were talking before, but now there was just silence between them. Baron looked like he was in deep thought.

Ilana broke the silence, "Do you like the dance so far?" She asked, looking into his dark eyes.

He nodded. "Yeah. It's nice..." He still looked like he was trying to figure something out.

Ilana sighed and started glancing around her. She could see Maribel and Jason slow dancing a few feet away from where she was. Maribel was giggling to something Jason had said. Ilana also saw Kimmy in a bright pink sleeveless dress. She was yelling at her date, Brandon, in a corner. He was crossing his arms and arguing back.

Ilana turned her head the other direction. Newton stood by the refreshment table with that jock everyone calls 'Meat'. Meat was chugging down as much punch as he could. Newton saw Ilana looking in his direction, and he waved to her. She gave him a small smile back and turned back to face Baron.

His face...it seemed different. He looked at Ilana, his eyes so dark you would have thought it was just one huge pupil. He was breathing deeply. Dark circles were under his eyes, and Ilana wondered if he slept last night.

"Ilana, come with me." He said in a weird, deep voice.

"Um...Baron? Are you alright?" She asked in a gentle tone.

He nodded quickly. "Yes. Please, come. Away from all the people." He took her hand and lead her towards the door, not blinking, having a tight grip.

"Baron-" Ilana said. She remembered she didn't have her armor device on her wrist. She thought she wouldn't need it. But now...

"Shhh. Just come." Baron said, as he marched to the door. Ilana followed him, all the way outside, where no one could see them.

* * *

**A/N: Bam. Cliffhanger. Didya notice the Lord of the Rings refrence? Yeah...that was for you, purpledragon6. She has a story which Sym-Bionic Titan meets LOTR. It's pretty awesome. **

**What do you thinks going to happen to Ilana? Is Baron going crazy? And what about Lance? Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them! And sorry for the long wait, where I went on vacation didn't have any wireless internet! :(**

* * *

Lance burst though the gym doors. Nobody seemed to notice him, because everyone kept dancing to the upbeat music. He marched through the crowd, looking for Ilana or Baron or even Newton.

He finally spotted his robot friend standing near the refreshment table, holding a cup full of fruit punch. Lance ran up to him.

"Lance! I thought you weren't coming! But now I see you found your tuxedo and came." Newton exclaimed as he looked as Lance's outfit, which was the tuxedo he wore to homecoming.

"Yeah, yeah." Lance said, glancing around the gym. "Where's Ilana? I need to tell her...something."

Newton shrugged, "Last I saw her, she and Baron were walking out of the gym, holding hands."

Lance's stomach dropped thinking of that image. He also thought of _why _the left the dance and _what _they were now doing outside. Both images were not exactly pretty.

"Alright then. I'm going to go and see her." Lance said without looking at the robot.

Newton raised an eyebrow. "Lance...did you come here because of your 'teenage feelings'?"

"My what?"

"Teenage feelings" He repeated, "I saw it in a parenting magazine."

Lance quickly shook his head, trying to clear the confused expression off his face. "Look, I gotta go." He said and began to walk towards the doors.

"Lance! It's always okay to talk about how you feel!" Newton said after him. Lance ingored him and kept walking, wondering if the robot was right about one thing: He came because of his 'teenage feelings' towards Ilana.

Before he even opened the door, he knew the answer was yes.

* * *

"Baron, _please _tell me why you brought me here!" Ilana asked her date as he kept leading her through the snow covered school ground.

He turned his head to face hers, but didn't stop walking. The little light from the streetlamps and the school's windows made it seem like his eyes were completly black. "You'll see...soon..."

"Baron? Is there something wrong with your voice?" Ilana asked, noticing it was unusually rough and deep.

He didn't answer, but kept walking until they reached the middle of the school's parking lot. As he spun around to face her, she crossed her arms from the winter's chilly air.

"Okay...what is it?" She asked, trying not to sound annoyed. He breathed heavily, staring into her eyes. "Baron?" She asked, wondering why his eyes were still pitch dark. Surely, the streetlamps all around them would have made them lighter...?

"Princess Ilana..." He said in that deeply rough voice.

Her face showed confusion. "...yes? Baron, seriously, what's wrong?"

Baron would not stop breathing heavily. "You're the symbol of hope for Galaluna. You're the reason the Mutraddi haven't taken over completely."

"Um..." How was she suppose to answer to that?

"That is why you must be eliminated." Baron said simply.

"Wait, WHAT?" She asked, surprised. His teeth had changed now, every single one into little fangs...

He grabbed her shoulders. Hard. Ilana tried to pry his fingers off, but they were gripping too tight. Her Corus armor! All she needed to do was activate it and...

But, she had left her watch at home.

* * *

Lance threw open the doors. He skimmed the school grounds, searching for a magenta dress and a familiar bob of blonde hair (He wasn't talking about Baron).

There! In the parking lot! Ilana stood with her arms cold, probably cold from the February nighttime air. Baron stood inches from her face, his chest rising and falling quickly. He was talking to her, and she seemed confused.

Lance marched to where they stood closely to each other. He was maybe twenty feet away when he grabbed her shoulder and clutched them tightly.

_What the...?_ Lance asked himself and he began to walk faster. He was so close, then Ilana was thrown against the lamp post.

Lance's mouth fell open. He sprinted to Baron and shoved him, "What the _hell _is wrong with you?" He yelled at him.

Baron quickly gripped his sholder with one hand and growled, "Stay out of this, or you will die as well."

Lance glared at him with hatred. "Look, there's something extremely wrong with you."

Baron growled again, his eyes were completely black and his skin was unusually pale. Ilana moaned quietly on the cement and moved her arm slightly. Barn used his heel to kick her side.

Lance shoved his sholder again. Baron turned so fast that Lance wasn't ready to defend himself when Baron puched him with full force in the chest. He flew backwards as all the air in his lungs _wooshed_ out of him.

He got up in time to see Baron grab Ilana's arm and pull her up. She opened her eyes and pulled back a fist to punch his face, but instead, Baron grabbed her fist with his other hand and began to twist it back.

Ilana cried out in pain as he continued, and you could tell that she tried her best to fight back. Lance scrambled up to his feet and ran to Baron. He slammed into him with his body. Baron dropped Ilana as he and Lance fell to the ground.

Lance hurried to get up, but Baron clawed at his face as he too, wanted to get on his feet. Lance pushed him down hard and got to kneel before Baron slammed his elbow to Lance's jaw. Lance was about to hit him back, but a loud helicopter sound filled the night. Lance could see men in red uniform descend from it.

Still, that didn't stop him from pouding his knuckles twice against Baron's long nose. Then someone grabbed the back of his jacket and lifted him as a fott came down on Baron's stomach. Lance looked to see him looking face to face with Newton.

"Lance," The robot whispered, "Get Ilana far from Baron. He won't stop attacking until she's dead. So they father they are apart, the better." Lance was about to protest when Newton quickly said, "G3 and I will take care of him, now _go._"

Lance nodded, understanding. Newton dropped him as Baron kept hissing and clawing the robot's foot. Lance quickly activated into his Manus armor and carefully took Ilana's body in his hands. More of G3 dropped to the earth and came towards the scene. Even now, students were coming out to see what all the racket was coming from.

Many gasped as the Manus armor shot foward into the night sky, flying far from Newton and the school.

* * *

**A/N: Well...what did ya think? I can't wait till you get to read the next chapter! What will happen? What about Baron? And Ilana and Lance? Review please!**


	13. Chapter 13

**This chapter is dedicated to all you Ilanca shippers. And to those who wish Sym-Bionic Titan was still on tv. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_ "Get Ilana far from Baron. He won't stop attacking until she's dead. So they father they are apart, the better." _That ran through Lance's mind as he flew through the night sky, carrying the unconscious Ilana in his robotic hands. But where should he take her? Definitely somewhere Baron hasn't been before.

He saw a cave on top of a rocky cliff miles from Sherman and decided to stay there. When he landed in it he gently placed Ilana against the cave's wall and switched off his armor. Lance glanced around, making sure no one else was there. Except for that owl hooting in a nearby tree, they were alone.

Lance wrapped her up in his tuxedo jacket and then gathered some sticks and started a small fire in the center of the cave. It was difficult to start, but eventually he got it going. That's when Ilana woke up.

"Where-?" She began to ask weakly, but quickly stopped and clutched the bottom of her leg in pain. Lance rushed over and knelled beside her. He saw a jagged cut above her ankle she must of received from Baron.

Lance quickly ripped the bottom of his white shirt and made a make-shift bandage for her. She let him rap her injury with it. "Any others?" Lance asked when he was done.

She shook her head, which Lance noticed she had a large bruise on her forehead. "Thank you." Ilana said quietly.

"No problem." Lance said to her.

Ilana sighed and said, "I'm so stupid."

"Hey, it was a mistake. Anyone-"

"Yeah, but I should have known better! You warned me countless times and I just ignored you 'cause I thought-" She then broke off and began to cry, covering her face with her hands.

Lance placed a hand on her shoulder, "Ilana...please, it wasn't your fault he turned into this." She took a big sniff and looked up at him. "Here." He said and pulled a tissue out of his pocket. She took it and blew her nose in it.

Once he knew she was calmed down, Lance went to gather more firewood. Ilana watched him walk out of the cave and go out of sight where the trees grew. She looked up at the full moon, wondering what time it was. Maybe, 11:00? 12:00? She didn't know. Then she realized something: It was nighttime, she was in a cave with only the moon and the small fire giving off light. And she was alone, with Lance.

Her heart started to beat faster. It was just like one of those movies she saw, a boy and a girl hide out in a cave alone and before you know it they're...no. Lance probably didn't feel the same about her. And he had thought she loved Baron, but...

Ilana shook her head fiercely, as the memory of her dream came in her mind. The monster had said it would kill everyone she truly loved. Baron wasn't it that dream because she never _truly _loved him. She just thought she did.

But Lance was there. He was in almost every single dream she's had recently. Ilana smiled, remembering the one where her and Lance where in the Palace Gardens. They had held hands. She had felt so warm and happy.

_But, Lance was her bodyguard. _She reminded herself. _Why would he feel like this towards you?_

Before she could ponder any further, Lance had come back carrying a pile of sticks. He smiled at her and she returned one back, hoping she wasn't blushing. He set the longs down and walked towards her, kneeling beside her.

"You feeling better?" He asked her.

Ilana nodded and half-smiled at him, "Thank you." She said.

"For what?"

"Protecting me and taking care of me. If it wasn't for you I'd be-" She then stopped, because Lance had begun to kiss her.

It was a gentle kiss, but Ilana was too shocked at first to realize it. Soon, though, she closed her eyes and let it melt her away. Lance had slipped his hand behind her neck and pulled her more towards him, deepening the kiss. At the same time, Ilana had put her arms around his neck, pulling herself more towards him, wanting more of the kiss.

They stayed like that for a long time, not thinking about the Galalunian war or Baron or anything. Only each other.

* * *

"Is she dead yet?" Modula asked Kleefin as they looked at the monitors. The victim of the beetle's venom heart rate was beating so fast the general thought it might explode.

Kleefin shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not, my lord." He said. But before Modula could get angry, he said, "But! It's only been a few hours since the venom has taken full affect! Give it time, and the victim will want nothing else than to destroy the princess!"

"You better be right." Modula growled and walked away from the monitors and to the large window on the opposite wall.

He looked down at the kingdom of Galaluna, thinking about the princess, the king, everything that he must worry about. The king was chained up, but the princess...Modula frowned, she _has _to be killed in order for these people to lose all hope. And if that doesn't happen soon, Kleefin will be killed instead.

* * *

Lance stared into the fire, mesmerized by the flames. Ilana slept beside him, her head resting on his shoulder while his arm was around her shoulders. She breathed evenly while he kept watch. He was thinking of dozing off himself, but he kept remembering that he must protect Ilana.

It was maybe 2:00 in the morning, Lance guessed. Ilana shifted a little as he looked outside. Still nothing but hills and trees. Even the owl he had heard before was gone. He sighed and decided to relax. Baron was most likely already taken care of by Octus and G3.

But what made him all strange? The first few days on Earth he had been fine. But now...Lance wasn't so sure. The only Mutraddi he had seen since Baron had arrived was that beetle and he had destroyed it, right?

Unless...it was the beetle that had bit Baron that one day. Maybe that's why he wants to kill Ilana so bad, because he was poisoned with Mutraddi venom. But wouldn't Octus have detected it? Unless it blended in with the blood or something.

Of course, before Lance could ponder more on this thought, the ceiling of the cave began to crack, and then fall.

* * *

**A/N: Well, whadya think? Please review and thanks so much for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

The walls of the cave shook as rubble fell on Lance, Ilana, and their fire. Large chunks of rock soon fell as well, almost crushing their bodies of Lance hadn't pushed them away in time. What on Earth was going on? Ilana, who had woken up from the commotion, looked at Lance for some kind of explanation, but he had none.

Lance threw himself over Ilana's body as more debris descended on them. Their fire was long gone, and since it was still dead of night, Lance couldn't make out what, or who, was doing this. A loud bang, and half of the ceiling caved in. Lance grabbed Ilana's hand and ran towards the opening. He paused as they reached it, seeing two yellow eyes. A purple, metal helmet. A Manus armor to be exact.

"Lance!" Baron's voice yelled from within it. Ilana's hand covered her mouth, hiding a gasp. How did he escape from Octus and G3?

Baron's armored hand came crashing down to them, but landed on the rest of the cave instead of them. Lance had been swift and quickly pulled him and Ilana aside. The crushed rocks fell to the earth, causing loud crashes and ground shaking to occur. Lance knew he had to protect Ilana from him, no matter what.

Ilana had instinctively reached for her wrist when this began to happen. When her device for her armor wasn't there, she immediately felt useless. If she couldn't protect herself from Baron's anger and fury, then that meant Lance had to. But, after what had happened, she didn't want Lance to get hurt and maybe killed because of her.

Baron had stepped back when he figured out no harm had come to Ilana. He made a sword appear from his Manus armor, and swung it at the princess. She didn't even had time to yell out in fright.

Another Manus armor appeared and blocked Baron's sword. Ilana snapped her head, looking for Lance at her side. As she expected, he wasn't there. He was in the other Manus armor, fighting to protect her.

Baron was about to fire a missile at Lance, but Lance was prepared. He swung his giant fist at Baron's face. A loud clank rang through the air as the same metal met each other. _If only we could form Titan,_ Ilana thought to herself. But they were miles from Octus. Actually, she had no idea where she was!

Baron's Manus then had an ax in in his hand and swung it quickly at Lance. The compact was hard because Lance was then thrown back into the trees. The sound of crunching wood came as Lance slowly got up and got his shield out as Baron ran up to him and swung the ax at him again.

Ilana tried to call out to Lance, not wanted him to get hurt. If Baron...no. She wouldn't think about it. Lance would keep fighting as long as Baron kept trying to hurt her.

Wait...Baron wanted to kill her, not Lance...

She had an idea.

* * *

Octus stood up from the rubble, scanning the area. The red-suited men from G3 were slowly scrambling to their feet, helping other soldiers who were injured. Solomon was rubbing his head by Octus's feet, his hat laying crumpled beside him. Octus's memory recalled what happened.

Baron was freaking out when Lance left with the unconscious Ilana into the night sky. He was still under Octus's robotic foot, and the G3 soldiers were about to put restraints on him, so they could bring him back to headquarters. But Baron remembered he had the watch on his wrist for his Manus armor the same time Octus did as well.

He was about to reach down to him when Baron activated his armor. In a blink of an eye he was out under Octus's foot, and had all the soldier's guns pointed at him. Baron acted fast and shot missiles at all of them.

Solomon, who was walking up behind Octus at that moment, almost got hit by one of Baron's missiles. Octus had used his super speed to get Solomon out of the way.

G3's guns fired at Baron's armor, but it was no use. He was up in the sky in no time, going after Lance. But before he left completely, he turned around in mid-air, pointed his wrist at the group, and began to release bullets. Octus did he best to protect them all, but soon he looked up and the Manus armor was gone.

Solomon stood up and brushed himself off. "Where did he go?" He demanded to the robot.

Octus shrugged, "I don't know. I can only reach out so far and Baron was going at top speed-"

"Yes, yes, but can you track him?" Solomon asked impatiently.

Octus nodded, "It might take awhile though, Lance didn't exactly tell me where he went and-"

"We need to find them soon! Did you not see what that monster did to my men?" Solomon asked, pointing at the wounded soldiers.

The robot sighed as police cars came in the distance. One of the students in the school must of called them. "I'll look for them, but I'm not sure I can stop Baron." He told Solomon.

"And why not?"

"Well, if I'm mistaken, it looks like Baron's been infected with a poison that thinks he must kill Ilana, and he'll do anything to make that possible."

* * *

Ilana sneaked over to where the two Manus armored boys were fighting. It was quite difficult, because not only did she have to be careful not to trip over any rocks from the cave debris, but she also had to make sure she didn't slip off the cliff the cave was on. She was finally close enough to the fight she could call out to Lance.

"Lance!" She yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth.

One of the Manus armor heads turned to her. "Ilana! Get out of here!" Lance told her.

Baron's armored head turned her way after Lance finished talking. He saw Ilana and immediately forgot about Lance and began to walk her way. Lance took out a trident and slammed it into Baron's back. It made a loud bang but didn't do any damage. Baron just kept walking towards the princess.

Ilana began to run the opposite direction, her plan working. Her torn dress flapping behind her. Baron began to follow, but Lance intercepted him by throwing his armored body against his. They both crashed into the ground hard.

Ilana stopped and turned to find Lance punching Baron's face multiple times, then Baron finally getting up and taking out his spear. He shoved it towards Lance, but he had taken out his shield and deflected it.

It was odd, seeing identical robotic armor fighting each other when they both had been trained the same. Ilana knew there was no clear winner. They both punched the same, fought the same, and blocked the same.

Baron then smashed his spear into Lance's cheek. He was thrown back and landed quite hard in the trees. Ilana covered her mouth, not sure what to do now.

Baron ran to Lance, making loud stomping noises on the way. He threw himself on top of Lance and Ilana couldn't take it anymore. She had to find a way down this cliff and make her way to Lance.

She found a not-so steep part of the precipice, and started to carefully climb down. She accidentally stepped on a corner of her magenta and it made a loud ripping sound as the fabric tore. Ilana rolled her eyes. This dress was making her more annoyed by the minute.

When Ilana turned to face the two boys at the bottom of the cliff, she saw they were no longer in their armor. Instead, Baron was in a ripped up tuxedo and Lance had ditched his tux jacket and had a sleeve torn off from his formal white shirt. They were both attacking the other, Baron for trying to get his way to Ilana, and Lance to stop him.

Ilana began to jog towards them, which probably wasn't the wisest thing in the world. Baron only had a glimpse of her and he went bonkers. He clawed at Lance's face, hissed at no one in particular, trying to charge to her.

Lance took all his strength and slammed Baron to the snowy ground. He wrapped his hands around Baron's neck, with an expression that showed nothing but anger. But Baron kept on hissing at Lance and tried to pry his hands away from his throat.

Ilana gasped and now sprinted towards them. Lance wouldn't kill Baron...he wouldn't! Would he? She shouted to him, wanting him to stop.

Lance couldn't hear a word she said. He was only aware that Baron's breathing was becoming more strained. His black eyes widened at the realization of this. He stopped the hissing, the clawing, the prying, and just looked up at Lance and said:

"Lance, look, I'm sorry. For everything."

* * *

**A/N: Whaaat? What? WHAT! That's right. You read it correctly. What will come in the next chapter? Please leave your thoughts in the review (which would be awesome) and thanks a ton for reading! And reviewing if you choose to do so. :P**


	15. Chapter 15

Lance froze, his mind unable to think straight. What did Baron just say? _I'm sorry? _What was this, as trap? To lower his guard so Baron could make the final blow? But then again...his eyes showed nothing but guilt and a plea for mercy. He wasn't struggling anymore. Not even his hands, which were wrapped around Lance's wrist, were making any pain.

Lance was so confused.

Ilana had finally reached them. She was breathing hard, but had enough strength to take Lance's shoulders and pull him away from Baron. When the hands weren't choking him anymore, Baron took a deep breath in and began to cough, his right hand clutching his chest.

"What's wrong with you?" Ilana demanded, "You weren't seriously going to kill him?"

"Wha-? He was going to _kill us!_" Lance told her, almost shouting. He noticed her dress was torn at the bottom and her hair was a mess, and realized he looked pretty crappy as well.

"Well obviously he changed!" She said, pointing at the still-coughing Baron.

Lance's jaw dropped at her sudden defense for Baron, but he didn't say anything. Maybe she was right...he wasn't doing anything harmful now...ugh! It was so confusing!

Baron now was slowly getting to his feet, his knees shaking. "Baron...?" Ilana asked. He looked up at her, his eyes still wide with fear. But after exactly one second, the blackness came back. His back arched as his eyebrows went down to show the anger in his expression. He jumped to Ilana, his hands ready to claw her face.

Lance was ready. Before Ilana could even scream he had thrown his body against Baron's, knocking him to the ground. He hissed once, as Lance asked Ilana, "Can I get rid of him now?"

Ilana seemed confused. "I thought...he had turned back..." she said slowly. The demon-like Baron was clutching his head on the snowy ground, hissing.

Lance rolled his eyes,"Well, obviously he didn't!" They both looked down at Baron. Who was trying to breath steady. He looked up, his eyes looked less evil as he mouthed to them, _Help me._

She gave Lance a look and said, "See?" She looked at Baron with pity as he tried to breath steady and put a hand to his forehead, as if he had a headache.

Lance sighed. She wasn't ever going to let him kill Baron, not when he kept turning from good to bad this fast. What if he turned back to that demon, and she let her guard down and he...

That thought wasn't finished, because just as Ilana leaned down to try and help Baron, his eyes had turned completely black again and he lunged. Ilana screamed as she was forced backwards, Baron on top of her and snarling. Lance yelled for him to stop as he grabbed his shoulders, trying to throw him off of her. Baron simply hit his face with one of his clawed fingers and Lance fell backwards, his mouth full of blood.

Black dots filled his vision before he got up. He saw Ilana trying to punch Baron, but he had her arms pinned. Lance quickly ran to him, and knocked him to the snowy ground with full body force. Baron hissed again, his face full of hate. Lance was about to strike him hard on his pointed face, but that's when a peculiar noise filled the air.

Baron blinked, and the hate left his expression. Ilana looked up and shielded her eyes, only to find a huge hovercraft among the clouds. As it came lower to the Earth, soldiers in red uniforms jumped out of it, holding guns. Ilana and Lance both knew who they were: G3.

Baron, who seemed to be normal, looked at Ilana and pleaded, "Please, help me!"

"Those people are just the Galactic Guardian Gr-" She was about to say, but Lance stepped protectively in front of her.

"These men are on our side." He simply told Baron as more soldiers came down.

Baron began to breathe fast, his face showed worry. "They'll hurt me, won't they?" he asked.

Ilana couldn't answer that. She knew Baron had been poisoned with evil, but on the other hand, he seemed to be fighting it. However, Lance had nodded to the other boy.

She thought he might just surrender, but instead, the blackness came back into Baron. When the soldiers were near enough, he lunged at the closest one, cracking the glass on his helmet. The soldier yelled out in surprise, and tried to fight off him.

"No!" Ilana cried, reaching around Lance. Baron could fight back the evil, she saw it! What if they killed him? Or took him away to their headquarters?

Lance grabbed her arm gently and said in a soft voice, "Ilana, there's nothing we can do. He's not the same anymore."

"No! We can help him!" She cried, "We can bring him back! We can-" That's when another hand rested on her shoulder. She turned her head to face Solomon.

He said to Ilana and Lance, "Come. Your robot is going to get you out of here."

"Octus?" Lance asked. Honestly, he had forgotten about the robot for a minute.

"What? No! We need to help our friend!" Ilana told Solomon, shoving off his hand and pointing at Baron, who was currently clawing at a shoulders head as two more were trying to shoot him down without accidentally hitting their friend.

Solomon shook his head, "I'm sorry, but he's too dangerous." He tried to grab Ilana's arm again to lead her towards the hovercraft, but she refused.

"Ilana," Lance said gently, "There's nothing you can do."

She shot her head up to him, hurt. Then her attention went to Baron, who just broke free again from the clutches of some G3 soldiers and sank his teeth in the nearest one's leg. She gasped a little, then her eyes went up to Lance's. She knew he was right, she just didn't want to admit it.

* * *

Octus was waiting in the hovercraft, although he didn't want to. He had told Solomon he wanted to go down to get Ilana and Lance himself, but the leader of G3 told him that that might provoke Baron. So he went down, as Octus stayed where he was. He saw the entire scene happen below him, and how Baron had turned into a monster yet again. But now, he was watching as Solomon escorted Ilana and Lance to their hovercraft as more soldiers tried to restrain the still-thrashing Baron.

Ilana's dress was torn and her hair was messy. Lance's appearance was worse: his white shirt was ripped and wet from melted snow and his face had scratches on it. They both looked equally exhausted, and suddenly Octus felt as if more had happened then just dealing with Baron.

They were so close to the hovercraft, only a few steps further and then they would be able to climb in. But then something unexpected happened: Octus had seen the G3 soldiers take their guns and shoot binders at Baron's arms and legs to try to restrain him. It had held him down for about a minute, until he saw Ilana leaving the opposite direction. Then he went berserk and somehow broke his binders and began to charge towards the princess.

Octus jumped out of the hovercraft the moment this happened. Ilana, Lance and Solomon still didn't notice the monster running behind them. He ran up to the surprised Ilana and made his robot body into a protective sphere around her body. Lance had jumped a little at this, but as Octus warned him, "Baron! Behind you!" He spun around ready for a fight.

Baron was a few feet away, his hands ready to claw anyone in his way. But he didn't make another step, because a blasting sound ran through the air, and Baron collapsed to the ground.

* * *

**A/N: Awww snap! Another cliffhanger! Sorry I keep torturing you, but cliffhangers are good for people, right? **

**Thanks again for all you reviewers! Every single one means so much, and I wish I could give you all a cookie! (Sadly, this has not been possible through the internet)**

**Anywhoddle, what do you think just happened to Baron? How do you think Octus will be like when he finds out Ilana and Lance kissed? Review and write your thoughts! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Don't worry! I didn't forget about this story! **

**I really do hope you enjoy this chapter, though!**

* * *

Ilana screamed, covering her mouth with her hand. Lance's jaw flew down, a moment of shock ran through him. Even Octus, a robot, was surprised at what just happened. Baron, who seemed to be on his killing-rampage-self, suddenly collapsed, and now remained motionless.

All three of their heads slowly turned to whatever the blast came from that caused Baron to be like this.

Who they saw was holding a high-tech looking gun, which Lance noticed they were similar to the weapons they had on Galaluna. The person holding the gun (which still had smoke coming out of the barrel) was standing completely still with perfect posture.

But the real shock was that the person was none other than Solomon.

He stood there, completely still with perfect posture, breathing steadily. His arm was out straight, the barrel of the gun still had faint smoke coming out of it. He slowly lowered his arm so the gun pointed at the snowy ground. He calmly turned to the trio of faces, who still stared at him with disbelief.

"Wha-?" Lance breathed out, very confused.

"I had to." Solomon explained, "he was just too dangerous."

"You mean...you..." Ilana choked up, not able to finish her sentence.

Solomon nodded gravely. "I am sorry," He told her kindly, "but he would have caused more harm than good alive."

Ilana took a shaky breath in, then quickly buried her face in Lance's chest before anyone could see her tears. He stroked her hair soothingly and held her as Solomon told them, "It was quick and painless, unlike the poison that made him like this." G3 soldiers were now taking Baron's corpse away from the scene. Lance even adverted his eyes from the pale, dead face that hung limply from the body.

As they left and Solomon followed, Lance noticed how the night had now turned silent, a change from the commotion that had just happened. Octus tried to comfort Ilana by saying, "Don't worry, he's in a better place now."

Ilana lifted her head, nodding. "I know," she said, wiping her eyes hastily, "It's just...I felt like...I failed him." Her lip trembled, but she didn't cry again.

Lance, who still had his arms around her, said softly, "You didn't fail him, he was to the point where he couldn't be controlled. It's not your fault, it's whoever poisoned him."

Ilana sighed and pressed her cheek against the front of his shirt. "I guess you're right," She murmured, "But who would have wanted to infect him in the first place?"

Lance shrugged and rubbed her back in slow, circular motions. "Maybe it was a mistake..." Then he stopped, realizing, "Wait...that beetle."

"Huh?"

"Remember? When I was searching for that Mutraddi? It was that beetle, but I thought I had killed it before it could harm anyone..." He sighed, guilt filling him. "How could I have been so stupid...it probably bit Baron, knowing it's venom would control him to kill you..."

Ilana gasped, realizing how much sense it made. Octus said, however, "Lance, it's not your fault. It's mine. I should have known-"

Then Solomon came up to them, cutting them off. "We're ready to leave. Would you like a lift home?"

Ilana, Lance, and Octus all glanced at one another, then agreeing in silence. Solomon turned and lead them towards the hovercraft, with Octus right behind him, and Lance had his arm around Ilana's shoulders as they brought in the end.

* * *

A green jet of light came from the eye on Modula's tall hat, and before he could even beg for mercy, Kleefin was incinerated. The general simply stepped over the black spot on the floor, saying, "So sorry, but we had a bet. And you lost."

When the monitors for the infected-civilian showed that it had died, Modula remained calm on the outside, but inside he was furious. When he reached the large window facing the kingdom below, he drew out a long sigh.

Why can't he kill a simple girl? She was still alive, yet he managed to take over an entire planet in a day. Why didn't the victim of the venom work? Was it Kleefin's fault? Or did she figure it out and had her other two companions kill it?

He let out a deep sigh and then declared to himself, "Someday, Princess, I will find a way to destroy you...and then this kingdom's hope will be vanished forever."

An evil smile left his lips as he realized how easy it would be, having Galaluna be _his _kingdom then. Only the moons and the stars could witness this though, and as the green eye on his hat seem to gleam with excitement...

* * *

As the hovercraft flew through the sky, which Lance could see the sun slowly peeking it's way up from the horizon. They were sitting on a black bench in the back of the cockpit, facing large windows. Ilana sat next to him, eyes closed but still awake, resting her head against his shoulder.

Solomon was standing between the pilot's chair and the co-pilot's, his back facing them and Octus. Lance didn't know where they put Baron's body, but he guessed it was in a place so they could study it or whatever.

Ilana took a deep breath and shifted her position on his shoulder. Lance simply smiled down at her, his arm around her shoulders.

Octus looked over at them, his eyebrow raised. "So," He said to Lance, "Do you two have...those teenage feelings?"

Lance laughed a little and Ilana opened her eyes and stared at the robot, "Huh?" she asked, confused.

"Just something he read in a parenting magazine." Lance explained, "Just try and rest, okay?" She nodded and closed her eyes again.

"Well?" Octus asked, more quietly. Lance grinned and shrugged, leaning his cheek against the top of Ilana's head.

Solomon walked up to them and said, "We're arriving at your house." He turned his head to where the two teenagers sat, and noticed Ilana. "You better wake her up." He then turned to go back to the front.

"No need to," Ilana told Lance, straightening up before he could shake her, "I'm ready to go."

"You look exhausted." Octus said to her.

"Yeah, well, that's what I get for staying up all night." She laughed.

Lance smiled as well. And when Octus turned to talk to Solomon, he whispered over in her ear, "I think you look absolutely beautiful." Ilana blushed as a smile came to her.

The hovercraft dropped them off at their home, and Solomon gave them a nod good-bye as they ascended into the air. They then went inside, ignoring the look their neighbor Barb gave them as she stared out her window.

Lance and Ilana entered the living room, Octus went upstairs saying, "I have to check something." Ilana guessed it was to scan the area. She then noticed something that made her heart skip a beat: She and Lance were holding hands. Just like it was a natural thing, and no one seemed to notice until Ilana gazed her eyes upon them.

Lance had a smile across his face when her eyes trailed up to his, unsure of what to do next. Should she blush? Giggle? Instantly pull him into a kiss? Instead of deciding, she asked him, "What do you want to do next?"

His smile broadened, "Whatever you want." and he squeezed her hand tighter. Her heart skipped a beat inside her chest. Before her mind could think otherwise, she began to lean up to him, her eyes slowly beginning to close.

And then their lips met. Ilana let go of Lance's hand and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer. Lance didn't mind, because he then put one hand on her waist and one brushed her neck and cheek...

"Ahem." They both broke apart and saw Octus was standing at the bottom of the steps, in his Mr. Lunis form, staring at them with an eyebrow raised.

"Octus!" They both yelled, cheeks turning red.

"Sorry!" He held up his hands in defense, "Should I go then?" They both gave him an annoyed look and he quickly hurried up the stairs, muttering to himself, "Teenagers..."

After he left, Lance looked down at the princess, whose cheeks were still pink. He laughed softly and she glanced up at him, laughing as well. As it died down Ilana asked him, "Where were we?" He gave her a sly grin before kissing her yet again. Her heart fluttered as happiness filled her.

Then Lance broke away and whispered in her ear, "Ilana." He hesitated for a second, and then said with a stab of courage, "I love you."

Her fluttering hear skipped a beat as her brain absorbed this sentence. Those three simple words that made her have this feeling that was explainable. She stood on her tip-toes and whispered back in Lance's ear, "Wanna know something? I love you, too."

His lips turned into a grin and she could feel his heart thumping wildly. "I knew it!" A voice from the stairs shouted.

"Octus!" More giggling occurred, but both Lance and Ilana were so happy, they couldn't scold the robot for eavesdropping yet again.

* * *

**A/N: It's not over yet! Well, technically it is...but there's gonna be an epilogue! So be prepared for that!**

******Sorry I had to kill off Baron, even if he didn't deserve it. And Kleefin, who was just trying to do his job.**

**SO SO SO SORRY this took forever! But I hope you enjoyed it anyway! And please review! And thanks for reading and being patient!**


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

As the sun was setting, making the ocean's blue color stand out against the orange sky, the soft breeze was making her white skirts flow behind her gently. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of salty air, feeling the sand beneath her feet. Her hair was swaying on top of her head, and she could feel the sun's heat across her cheeks and hear the waves crash onto the shore.

"Mommy! Mommy look!" A voice called in front of her. Ilana's eyes snapped open from her reverie and sitting a few feet ahead of her was a four-year-old with a pointy stick in his hand. His black hair was blowing with the breeze, and his white pants were covered with sand as he kneeling over the picture he had just drawn.

"It's beautiful, Liam!" She told him, crouched down beside her son. He smiled as she gave him a hug and asked, "But, what is it exactly?"

"Uncle Octus, of course!" He explained, pointing with the stick, "See? That's his eye, and arms..."

"Oh, yes! I see it now!" Ilana said, still smiling.

Liam then looked up from the sand picture and stared at the sky ahead of them. "How much longer?" He asked.

"Soon." She whispered in his ear. She knew he wanted it to happen now, but he must be patient a little longer.

Her son grew a little impatient as he scooted onto her lap. Sand fell onto her white gown, but she didn't mind. It wasn't her favorite dress, just plain, flowing white with gold cuffs. But she knew it was the dress he liked the best.

Liam then gasped and pointed towards the pink clouds. "Look! Do ya see 'em? Look!" Ilana's eyes followed where his finger was gesturing at. Small, dark shapes were coming near them, and a broad smile came upon her.

She picked up Liam and stood up, holding the boy against her. He had both arms around her neck, but he was still facing the shapes. They were becoming bigger, and so was Ilana's smile. Oh, how she had missed him...

He had no choice to leave, even though the war had ended and Galaluna had victory. There were still Mutraddi out there, and he had to make sure they were all vanished. For the universe sake, he told her. Liam was barely three at the time.

Ilana backed up a little bit, staring at the shapes, now more recognizable. They were all Manus armor, about a dozen, the setting sun making the light dance off the purple metal. Liam stared in awe at every one of them.

The leader of the warriors lead the landing about fifty feet where Ilana and Liam stood. One by one, the soldiers switched off their armor, revealing men in red uniforms and tired expressions. They noticed Ilana, and quickly bowed to her before taking turns drinking water and talking amongst themselves. The leader was the last to turn off his armor, and congratulated the men on a job well done.

She hadn't moved the entire time, wanting to spring forward, but forcing herself to stand still. Liam's mouth was slightly hanging open, gazing at the soldiers in wonder. It was less than a minute until the leader turned to face them, but for Ilana it took forever.

The leader ran over to the two of them, arms spread, and a grin brightening his exhausted face. Ilana wrapped her arm not holding Liam around him, squeezing him tightly as her son took his arms off Ilana's neck and put them around the man's instead, saying happily, "Daddy! You're home!"

"Yep. Finally." Lance answered back, hugging his son. His eyes traveled to Ilana's, and saw they were wet with tears. "Hey..." He reassured her, a little worried.

"I'm fine...I just..." She choked out, managing a grin, "Oh, Lance, I missed you so much!"

"I know...I did too." He brought her closer, squeezing Liam in the middle until he cried out, "Help! I can't breath!"

Both Ilana and Lance laughed as they lessened their grip, and Liam took an exaggerated gulp of air. Lance ruffled his son's dark hair that resembled his own and said, "You've grown since the last time I saw you!"

Liam looked pleased with that remark, but couldn't say anything back because a soldier had come up to them, saying, "Your Majesties, your carriage is here." He gestured towards a flying golden carriage that was waiting for them a ways away. Ilana and Lance thanked him for the news and he dismissed away, where a separate transportation were going to take him and the rest of the soldier to the kingdom.

Lance and Ilana set Liam down and each took one of his hands and walked towards the royal carriage and stepped inside it. They were then carried to the center of the kingdom as well. Liam was looking out the window, nose pressed against the glass. They passed over many buildings, and Lance and Ilana were sitting side by side on red cushioned seats, Ilana leaning her head on his shoulder, and their hands stayed linked the entire time.

When they finally arrived at the palace, Ilana picked up Liam again and held him as she followed Lance out of the carriage. They walked up the great castle, Manus armored guards standing at each side. They didn't go into the castle, however, all three walked together towards the fountain in the courtyard before the palace.

The fountain was made of marble and was shaped like a Manus armor in flight. Sparking water burst out of the bottom of his feet in perfect arcs. On the front of the fountain was a brass plaque that read in big letters:_ DEDICATION TO CORPORAL BARON_.

Liam stopped and put his hands in the water, giggling at the coldness. Ilana, instead, stood a few feet back from her son and stared up at the magnificent statue, memories sweeping into her mind, and she quickly covered her mouth so the sobbing sound wouldn't be heard.

Lance quickly put a comforting arm around her and asked if he should do it instead of her, but she refused, sucking in a ton of air. She bent down in front of a bush that was planted at the side of the fountain, plucked a couple of periwinkle colored flowers, and before she continued, she asked Lance softly, "Do you find these pretty?"

"Those are called Stargleam, right?" He asked. Ilana nodded, looking in his eyes. "It's beautiful." She smiled, as she recalled a dream she had many years ago.

She then began to peel off the petals, and carefully drop them into the water inside the fountain. The Manus armored soldiers all saluted at once when the last petals were released. Liam was watching carefully, then asked his mother, "Who was Corporal Baron? You never told me!"

Lance and Ilana glanced at each other, before in silent agreement, Ilana bent down to Liam's eye-level and said to him, "He came to Earth, when Daddy and I were there-"

"With Uncle Octus!"

"Yes, him too. He was poisoned by the Mutraddi. And eventually he-" She choked up, and then continued, "And eventually it took control of him and he died."

Liam looked sad for a second, then Lance continued, putting a hand on Ilana's shoulder. "Remember G3?" Liam nodded, "They experimented on Baron's corpse until they found out they could use that venom against Modula. That's what helped win this war, son."

The boy was silent as he thought about this. He asked after a while, "Was he your friend, Daddy?"

Ilana glanced up at her husband, curious on what he would say. Lance looked like he was about to say something, but was really thinking with his mouth open. After about twenty seconds, he answered slowly, "Not when I first met him, and not when I last saw him." Liam's face fell, "But, eventually some good came out of his existence, otherwise we would be controlled by the Mutraddi." he then glanced at Ilana, "But I know your mother was good friends with him."

Ilana gave Lance a look, but Liam quickly asked, "What was he like? Was he nice at first? What did he look like? What-"

"That's enough questions for one night." Ilana said, cutting him off. She put her hands on his waist and hoisted him up. They, alongside Lance, walked inside the castle while the Manus guards flew away to their military positions.

"Lance?" Ilana asked when the large doors shut behind them. She set Liam down so he could hold her hand while walking beside her.

"Hmm?"

"Did you truly hate Baron right before he," She paused, giving a brief look at Liam, "Died?"

"You mean, when he wasn't controlled by Mutraddi poison?" Lance asked. Ilana nodded. "Honestly?" She nodded again, staring in his eyes. Liam was completely silent, but he pretended he wasn't listening. "When he first arrived on Earth...I still disliked him with a passion...but I realized it mostly formed to be," He coughed, looking away, "Jealousy."

Ilana couldn't hide in her smile, "You were jealous of Baron?" Her husband nodded as they turned a corner. "Really?"

"Yes, really." Lance said, a little embarrassed, "Mostly because he had been brave enough to win you over." He looked down at her, "What?"

"Nothing," She grinned, taking hold of his hand with her free one. "I think it's cute."

"Yeah, so cute." He said with some sarcasm, but couldn't help but grin back at her. They then reached a flight of stairs and climbed them until they all reached a large balcony that overlooked the kingdom. Liam couldn't see over top it, so Lance had to hold him.

Galaluna was still rebuilding, most of the buildings were under construction, and they could see people working hard to repair them. They still looked at Ilana as a symbol of hope, and Lance as a leader for them all.

"You know what?" Lance whispered to his wife, as the sun was almost completely vanished over the horizon. "There is no place in the entire universe I would rather be than right here."

Ilana giggled, "Funny, I was thinking the exact same thing."

"Eww!" Liam covered his eyes as his parents kissed each other. When they pulled apart, they laughed at the boys face, which he soon giggled along.

The three turned to go inside once more when the sun had completely gone under. But, only one thought was on both Ilana and Lance's mind as they gave each other a loving glance:

_After all this fighting, after all this suffering and pain and loss, it was worth it._

**The End**

* * *

**A/N: No! It can't be over! Nooooo! Whyyyyy? Aww, but it must :(**

**I'm kinda sad it's over, but all stories must end. This was actually the first fanfiction I ever made, and the response has been awesome! Thanks for all the reviews, the favorites, and the alerts! Every single one of you is amazing and I love you guys so much!**

**Now, concerning the title, _The Heart of a Warrior, _whose heart was I referring to? Was it Lance's, who had to deal with jealousy and his awful childhood experiences and realize Ilana was his true love, but know she would never have him if she had Baron? **

**Or Ilana, she's a warrior, who fell for Baron because he was the closest thing to home, and still saw good in him, but heart fell for Lance?**

**Or maybe even Baron himself. Obviously, he changed from being a school bully to someone who happened to fall for Ilana, resulting in his pain and death?**

**Who do you think? And before you go to thinking-mode, I just want to say thanks again, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! I can't say it enough! I don't know if I would've finished it if it weren't for you guys! Thanks!**

**And to Cartoon Network, :P YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE CANCELLED THE SHOW, YOU JERK-FACES!**

**Check out my other stories if you so please, and THANKS AGAIN! **


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